


At World's End

by Vesper_Whispers



Category: Glee
Genre: Damsels in Distress, F/F, F/M, Inspired by Pirates of the Caribbean, M/M, Pirate!Karofsky
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-02
Updated: 2020-06-20
Packaged: 2021-03-04 03:20:26
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 9
Words: 43,150
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24516793
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vesper_Whispers/pseuds/Vesper_Whispers
Summary: While traveling to be happily ever after with Blaine, Kurt was kidnapped by the Pirate Karofsky. Captain Blaine will not rest until his beloved is back in his arms. Klaine & Finchel, w/ Kurtofsky & Puckurt.Glee Kink-Meme Fill. Smut/Non-Con.
Relationships: Blaine Anderson/Kurt Hummel, Kurt Hummel/David Karofsky, Kurt Hummel/Noah Puckerman, Rachel Berry/Finn Hudson, Santana Lopez/Brittany S. Pierce
Comments: 27
Kudos: 58





	1. Little Chapel by the Sea

**Chapter One – Little Chapel by the Sea**

"I will have none of it," Burt rose from the desk in his study. "My son will not be wed to some penniless sailor and live in squalor for the rest of his life. You will marry who I tell you to marry, young man, end of discussion."

"But Papa, Blaine is not just some sailor; he is a captain in Her Majesty's Royal Navy!" Kurt was on the verge of tears. He couldn't believe that his doting father would reject his chosen suitor. "The House of Anderson may have lost their influence at court, but Blaine is still a Lord, he is noble and kind –-"

"A gentleman who has to earn his keep?" Burt dismissed. Kurt let out a dry choke, and Burt sat down next to his son on the fainting couch, looking a little guilty. "Kurt, I only want what is best for you. You know that when I pass, the Hummel-Hudson estate will go to Finn. He is the eldest and my marriage to Carol guaranteed him that right. Now, I know Sandy Ryerson may have some years on you, but he is a wealthy landowner who will be able to support you in the lifestyle you've been accustomed to all your life."

"I would rather die than be wed to Sandy Ryerson!" Kurt sobbed. "I love Blaine!"

"It is not up to you," Burt stated. "Mr. Ryerson will be joining us for supper tonight and I expect you to be present and on your best behavior."

Kurt hid his face in his hands and ran out of the study, nearly bumping into Finn outside the door.

Finn turned to go after Kurt, but Burt called out to him. "Finn, let him be. Give him some time alone, he'll come to his senses."

"I'm not so sure about that," Finn replied. "I've never seen Kurt so determined before. I mean, he's been infatuated with a couple of his suitors before, but I think Lord Anderson may be different."

"Your brother is stubborn, just like his mother," Burt sighed. "I have nothing against Lord Anderson. In fact, I admire that he's joined the service. But you can't eat your title. Kurt has never had to lift a finger for anything in his life. He has no idea what it is like to live below his means, to live by other's leave. And I'll be damned before I see him suffer such indignity."

Finn bowed his head, "This is all because of me. If I don't exist then Kurt would be free to marry whoever he chooses."

"Don't beat yourself up, Finn," Burt placed a hand on Finn's shoulder. "You are my son and you have been nothing but a good brother to Kurt."

"But why not just let Kurt stay with us for as long as he wants? Why marry him off so quickly?"

"By next time this year you will be married to Quinn," Burt explained. "Now, I know Quinn is a nice girl, but she is going to be the future mistress of this household. If I marry Kurt off now, I will be able to give him a lavish wedding and a decent dowry. But if I wait, the Fabray family might have reservations about sending your brother off in such style."

"Actually, Burt, that's what I'm here to talk with you about." Finn had an uneasy expression on his face. "About me and Quinn, I'm not sure... I mean, she is the most beautiful thing I've ever set my eyes on, but sometimes it just doesn't feel right."

"Nonsense!" Burt patted Finn on the back, chuckling. "You two were just engaged but a month ago. It's normal to have some jitters. Quinn will make a wonderful wife to you. That girl has a good head on her shoulders; she will make a fine mistress of the household."

"I know, but…."

"Now go and get ready for supper," Burt gently nudged Finn out of his study. "And remember to keep an eye on your brother. We don't want him kicking Ryerson under the table again."

* * *

Kurt huffed and puffed as he sat across the dinner table from Sandy. _If he mentions how many indentured servants he has again I am going to stab my eye with a fork_ , Kurt thought as he let out all of his anger at the roast on his plate. Plus Finn was watching him like a hawk. Every time Kurt shifted in his seat Finn would jump to steady Sandy's chair. _So what if last time I kicked his chair so hard it tipped over with him in it_? Kurt glared at Finn, who looked guiltily away.

After dinner, Carol insisted that Kurt and Sandy take a stroll in the garden together. "Go and show off your rosy little cheeks," Carol insisted as she gently pushed Kurt out the door. "The ones on your face, dear, at least before you are properly wed!"

Kurt could only roll his eyes.

So that's how Kurt Hummel and Sandy Ryerson ended up waking in silence along the garden path, with Burt and Carol far enough behind them. "It is only proper for a young gentleman in waiting to be chaperoned when being called on by his suitor", Burt had explained. But Kurt knows it's just to make sure he doesn't bash the said suitor over the head with a big stick.

"… and of course I will be giving you an allowance each week, because nothing would please me more to see your little tush wrapped in the finest fabrics…" Sandy was droning on and on, and Kurt was barely paying any attention. "And you will certainly be allowed to visit your family once a week and you have my permission to enjoy afternoon tea with your friends when not attending to me…"

"Uh huh…" Kurt made some noise to appease Sandy as he daydreamed about what Blaine and his crew are up to right now. The entire fleet is currently docked at port, getting ready to set sail in a day.

"And then there is the matter of your duties," Sandy was eyeing Kurt up and down lecherously. "Now I am a man in my prime and in good health, so without a doubt I have needs…"

"Ugh, what?" The fact that Sandy wasn't even hiding his leering brought Kurt's attention back to the garden. "What are you talking about?" Kurt asked uncomfortably.

"When we are wed, I will expect you to service me at least once a day," Sandy explained in the most matter-of-fact manner. "Now I know I might tire you out the night before, me being such a beast and all. So I always want you to be honest with me. If you are sore, we can always try other methods, like using your mouth, between your legs, or your hands. Oh, and sometimes I can get off by just watching you touch…"

"EXCUSE ME?" Kurt stared at Sandy wide eyed. His jaw dropped as Sandy went on about the various methods Kurt can pleasure him. "Okay, stop." Kurt finally held up a hand to cease the garbage that was coming out of that man's mouth.

"If you think you will ever have a shot at touching any of this gloriousness," Kurt cocked his chin as his finger drew a circle around his torso, "Then you must be the most delusional person on the planet, because I would rather go try my luck with a toad than to be married to you, Sandy Ryerson!"

With that Kurt took off and ran back toward the manner, up the winding stairs to his Victorian chic room and flung himself in a sobbing heap on his bed.

"This is so unfair!" Kurt buried his face in the lace pillow and let the tears flow. "Blaine, I miss you so much…"

Kurt first met Blaine at the annual township masquerade ball. In their conservative society, dances are one of the few rare opportunities for eligible singles to properly meet and greet. For a while Kurt was finding them quite boring. Being crowned "Belle of the Ball" at every dance kind of loses its luster after a while, even if Kurt did enjoy watching the young ladies in puffy skirts try to shoot daggers at him from their eyes. _Hey it's not my fault I know how to strut my stuff_. Kurt always knew he has a natural ability to get men to bend over backwards for him. A side glance or a flicker of the wrist is all it takes and in no time, he can get them to eat out of his hand.

On that fateful day, Kurt was hiding in the garden trying to avoid the lustful advances of his suitors when he noticed people running toward the main hall. "Hey, where is everyone going?" Kurt asked a young dapper gentleman in uniform who just so happened to pass by him.

The young man turned toward him, and all Kurt could see were two of the most beautiful hazel eyes. "The officers of the Warbler are going to give an impromptu performance," he replied.

"The Warbler?"

"Yeah, it's the fastest and most powerful ship in Her Majesty's Royal Navy," The young man beamed his brightest smile. "They are docked at port for a couple of days for supplies, so all the officers are attending the ball today. They love giving impromptu performances. Come, I'll take you there!"

Lord Blaine Anderson, Captain of the Warbler, grabbed Kurt Hummel's hand and nothing has been the same for Kurt ever since. Blaine had gone off for two tours out to sea since they met, and each day being away from Blaine would make Kurt's heart hurt more and more.

"Kurt?"

Finn's voice brought Kurt back to the present, where he is curled up on his bed, shoulders convulsing from his sobs.

"Go away, Finn."

"Are you alright?" A large hand gently laid on Kurt's shoulder. Finn may not be the brightest pebble on the block, but he is always a good brother.

"Oh Finn, I don't want to marry Sandy Ryerson," Kurt kept crying.

"I know, I know, Kurt," Finn replied. "It's all my fault, I am so sorry."

"And I want to see Blaine so bad," Kurt kept sobbing into his pillow. "I just really want to see him right now, Finn…"

Finn knotted his brow. "But the Warbler is supposed to set sail tomorrow. And god knows how long their tour is going to be."

Kurt suddenly looked up from his curled up position. That's right; the Warbler is still docked at port, meaning Blaine is still within a reachable distance.

"Finn!" Kurt jumped up on his bed, nearly knocking Finn backwards. "I am going down to the Navel Barracks right now!"

"What? Are you crazy?" Finn looked out to the darkened sky outside the window. "It's dusk, how are you going to get there? Burt will never allow it."

"Papa won't know, and I'll take the carriage," Kurt already got up and was fishing out his tightest breeches and most silky stockings. "Don't worry, Finn, I'll be back before dawn. No one will ever know!"

"No! Kurt, that's too dangerous!" Finn has never heard of such brazen behavior. "And it's totally unsafe for you to go down there by yourself in this time of the day. That place is crawling with unsavory characters."

"I'll be fine, Finn, I know how to handle myself."

Finn knows once Kurt's mind is made up, there is nothing he can do to stop it.

"Fine, if you are going to go down there, then I'll have to come with you."

"What?" Kurt almost dropped his lace neck-tie on the floor. "Finn, do you know what you are talking about?"

"Yes," Finn's stiffened his back to try to look more like a big brother. "If you are going to sneak out then the only thing I can do is to come with you to make sure you are okay."

"Oh Finn," Kurt seemed genuinely touched. "That's so sweet… Oh, and since you are coming, you can drive the carriage."

"Um, what?"

"What what? Do you honestly expect me to be the one whipping the horses and exposed to the elements, in this fabulous outfit?" Kurt rolled his eyes as he continued to fix his hair before the mirror.

"Now go fetch the horses and set up the carriage, I'll sneak down to the stable to meet you in a few minutes."

"Oh, okay," Finn shuffled out of the room as he was told, still holding that perplexed look on his face.

Kurt looked at himself in the mirror and smiled.

* * *

The crew of the Warbler was not hard to locate. The minute Finn and Kurt pulled onto barrack row they could hear singsongs emanating from a dimly lit tavern down the muddy street. When Kurt and Finn walked into the room, Blaine was giving his best rendition of Misery, with his mates swaying behind him in perfect harmony.

_Your salty skin and how it mixes in with mine_

_The way it feels to be completely intertwined_

_Not that I didn't care, it's that I didn't know_

_It's not that I didn't feel, it's that I didn't show_

Blaine's face lit up when he saw Kurt walking into the tavern. He immediately ran toward the boy and picked him up to twirl him around. Blaine's laughter could be heard reverberating throughout the crowded room.

"Blaine! Put me down!" Kurt scolded at the overwhelming display of affection, but the twinkle in his eyes couldn't hide his happiness.

"Blaine, you remember my brother, Finn," Kurt said after Blaine set him down.

"Of course!" Blaine reached for Finn's hand, which the latter shook.

"Lord Anderson," Finn said courteously.

"Please, call me Blaine!" Blaine patted Finn on the back and started to introduce him to his crew, which approached the boys to welcome them.

"Finn, this is Wes Montgomery, Her Majesty's Special Envoy, and David Thompson of the East India Company. They will be traveling with us to Bombay. Also, here are my second officers, Jeff, Nick, Thad, and Trent. You've probably seen them around town the past few days."

"Of course," Finn greeted the group. "It's very nice meeting you all."

"Oh, and you probably haven't met Rachel Berry. She was on assignment and just joined us yesterday," Blaine presented a petite brunet in full swashbuckler outfit complete with a seafarer hat. "Rachel is my First Mate, one of the finest sailors this side of the Seven Seas and our resident marksman,"

"Resident markswoman," Rachel corrected as she shook Finn's hand. "And the next in line to captain the Warbler, as soon as Blaine makes Commander. I am the only candidate in the officer pool who can match him in both voice and skill."

"Ugh, okay," Finn felt a little shy at Rachel's candidness.

"A round of drinks on me!" Blaine wrapped his arm around Kurt's slim waist to hold the object of his affection close and raised his arm to celebrate the moment.

As Finn and the crew of the Warbler went to gather their drinks, Blaine led Kurt to sit in a secluded corner of the tavern bar.

"You do not know how happy I am to see you!" Blaine raised Kurt's hands and covered them with light kisses. "I was just wondering what I wouldn't do to see you one more time before we sail off tomorrow…."

But Kurt didn't answer, and when Blaine looked up, he was alarmed by the tears floating in the boy's large, glaze eyes.

"Kurt! What's wrong?"

"Oh Blaine, it's terrible," Kurt covered his face with his hands. "My father wants to marry me off to this horrible man, it's just terrible!"

"What?" Blaine's blood ran cold. The thought of Kurt in the arms of another man was enough to plunge Lord Anderson into full fledge panic. "No, that can't be, what... what about us?"

"My father thinks you are just a fling, that you'll forget me the minute you sail off to god-knows-where," Kurt sobbed.

"Kurt, you know that is not true," Blaine had a pained expression as he reached to hug Kurt close to him. "I have pledged my heart to you. I am crazy about you, and I would die for you a million times over. Kurt, please believe me."

"I believe you," Kurt laid his head down on his beloved's shoulder. "But what can we do? I must do my father's bidding. When you are off in your adventures I'll be forced to marry the man I despise."

"I will go speak with your father," Blaine held Kurt's arms to face the boy, hazel eyes glistened with determination. "I will ask his permission for your hand in marriage. Kurt, I know I am not a wealthy person but after this tour, I will return with enough commission to give you the proper wedding you deserve. I promise."

"My father won't agree to it," Kurt wiped a tear away from his eyes. "He wants to marry me off as soon as possible."

"But Kurt, I love you, and I know you love me," Blaine reached to place a chaste kiss on the trembling lips.

"There is only one thing we can do," Kurt kissed back. "We need to get married tonight."

"Ugh, what?" Blaine snapped his head back so quickly he thought he heard a snap. "Without your father's permission?"

"Yes, Blaine. We won't tell anyone, at least not until you get back from your trip. But if my father forces me to marry, I can just tell him we've already been properly wed! That way there is nothing he can do but let me wait for your return so we can have a full wedding," Kurt was practically leaping out of his chair as he narrated his master plan.

When Kurt noticed Blaine's silence, his face dropped. "You don't want to marry me, Blaine?"

"What! No, of course I want to marry you!" Blaine quickly interjected. "It's just… how are we going to get married this time of the evening? I mean, I set sail tomorrow…"

"Oh don't worry; I've thought the whole thing through on my way here. There is this little church down by the sea and the padre will do anything for a pint of ale. We can go down there right now and have him officiate our union."

"Ugh… and the witnesses?"

"Finn will represent my family, and you… well just bring one of your officers or bring them all, I don't care."

"Kurt, are you sure you want to do this?" Blaine furrowed his brows as he faced his beloved.

"Yes," Kurt returned Blaine's gaze. "Lord Blaine Anderson, will you marry me?"

"Yes, I will marry you Kurt Hummel." Blaine held Kurt's hand and kissed his palm tenderly. God knows he has never been able to say no to the boy before him.

* * *

"Wait, wait a minute," Finn Hudson said weakly as he tried to rise from the shabby benches in the run-down chapel. "I think I should be objecting here…"

Just a few steps up the alter, Kurt Hummel and Lord Blaine Anderson were holding hands before a red nosed padre decked in a dirty brown robe. Finn just knew this doesn't look right. After all, shouldn't Carol and Burt be here for their son's marriage ceremony?

"If anyone has any reason to object to this union, speak now or forever hold your peace," The padre recited.

"I... argh!" Before Finn could stand up multiple hands from everywhere pulled him smack down on the floor. "Help!" Finn croaked as he thought he was being consumed by Hell itself.

"Oh shut it big boy," a dainty hand clasped over his mouth to stifle his cry. "Can't you see they are in love?"

Rather than observing the ceremony, Finn just stared wide-eyed at the petite girl holding him down. _Damn she's strong for her size_ , Finn thought. He had always thought girls just twirl their hair and prance around in pretty petticoats. Never before has he met a girl who can shoot guns, gulp beer with the boys, and is next in line to command a naval ship.

"Naval _war_ ship," Rachel corrected. "The fastest and most powerful of its kind. Do you always announce your thoughts out loud?"

* * *

"Whose stupid idea is it to throw wafers at us on our way out of the chapel?" Kurt was furious as Blaine delicately tried to pick out the cracker crumbs from his husband's hair. The two were alone in the moon-lit carriage, on their way back to the Naval Barracks from the little chapel by the sea. The rest of the Warblers came on horseback, and kindly refused a ride in the coach despite Finn's pleas.

"Well, the tradition is to throw rice at the groom and groom," Blaine chucked, combing his fingers through his own hair to shake out the crumbs. "But I guess they had to improvise."

Blaine noticed a small fleck of wafer stuck on Kurt's cheek, and gently leaned over to remove it with his lips.

"Hello, Lord Anderson-Hummel," he whispered.

"Hello back, Lord Anderson-Hummel." Kurt blushed.

Kurt gasped as he felt warm fingers slowly worming its way under his shirt. "What are you doing?" Kurt stilled the intruding fingers with his own. He was glad it was dark in the carriage, because he was in a dark shade of scarlet right now.

"Just performing my husbandly duties," Blaine replied as Kurt felt another hand slowly snaking its way over to his belt buckle.

"May I remind you that we're in a moving carriage, with my brother up in the front and your friends on horseback all around us?" Kurt let out another gasp as a hand brushed by his groin. Kurt was glad that the sound was drowned out by the loud clackedy noise of the horse hooves. Sure, they've sneaked a kiss here and there, and even copped a feel during a passionate embrace, but always at well planned secret rendezvous.

"Do you want me to stop?" Blaine slowly withdrew his hands, looking like a little boy who just got his cookie taken away from him. "I'm sorry, dear; I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable."

After a moment of awkward silence, Kurt finally spoke up. "Well, I guess it is our first night as husband and husband, and it's also our last night together for a while." Kurt looked up at Blaine. "Okay, wipe that grin off your face."

"Yes, dear." Blaine's immediate shift to a blank expression drew out a chuckle from Kurt.

"Clothes on, though," Kurt was barely audible. "At least while we are in the carriage."

With Kurt looking nervously at Blaine, the latter actually felt a bit apprehensive. Breathe, Blaine forced himself to relax. He is Lord Master of the Anderson House, captain of the Warbler, not to mention the victor of numerous naval battles and who orchestrated the capture of the meanest pirate ship in the Caribbean. He does not get the jitters on his wedding night. Not when the biggest prize of all is at stake here.

"It's okay, Kurt, we'll take it slow." Blaine slowly laid his hand on Kurt's thigh and began to gently massage his knee.

Just then the coach ran over a large rock and the boys were jolted up from their seats.

"Sorry!" Finn's voice called out from the front.

Kurt chuckled as he heard Blaine swear under his breath. "It's okay, my love," Kurt reached to kiss his husband. "Let's continue."

Blaine responded by kissing Kurt back passionately, sliding his tongue over each crevice in Kurt's mouth hungrily, knotting his tongue with Kurt's and then drawing the boy's tongue into his own.

Kurt had no idea one can get dizzy from a kiss, but as Blaine pressed himself into Kurt's mouth to get more depth, pinning Kurt to the back of the seat, Kurt could do nothing but moan and feel his world slip into oblivion.

Blaine pressed himself into Kurt as they slowly lay down on the seat. The bumps of the ride became a rhythm that forced their bodies to grind against each other in unison. For a while they just laid still in their intimate embrace, feeling their bodies jerk against the rough vibration of the road. Blaine could feel himself getting harder and harder with each shake, but he carefully avoided pressing on Kurt with his cock. Instead, he focused on getting Kurt pliant.

Slowly, Blaine nipped and bit at Kurt's cheeks, landing a trail of soft kisses along Kurt's jaw line up to his ears. Then he traced the soft bone of Kurt's ear with his tongue, occasionally leaning to nibble on Kurt's soft earlobes, drawing shudders from the boy below. His hands haven't been keeping still, either. Bit by bit they began to wiggle their way under Kurt's silk shirt, longing for the tender touch of flesh. Blaine held onto Kurt's hips and slowly massaged his fingers up and down either side of Kurt's narrow waist, drawing little circles on Kurt's soft, warm skin.

"Oh Blaine," Kurt felt like he was floating in air, and brought his hands to Blaine's back as he curved his back.

"Does it feel good, babe?" Blaine whispered between kisses.

"Oh!" Kurt shrieked as one particularly strong jolt bucked Kurt's hips, forcing their hard-ons to rub against each other.

"God, I can't wait to be one with you, Kurt," Blaine moaned into Kurt's ears as he steadied himself in that position and began to slowly rub himself up and down Kurt's increasingly hardened member. The sensation was so overwhelming Kurt couldn't even speak, he just arched his back and held on to Blaine for dear life.

Blaine had to use all of his will-power to not start grinding his erection into Kurt. He planted tender kisses on Kurt's arched neck as he gently rocked his hips forward. "You know you can touch me, if you want. You can move however you like…"

"Okay…" Kurt closed his eyes and whispered obediently, his hands hesitantly began to move up and down Blaine's back, eliciting a moan from Blaine.

When Kurt's fingers landed on Blaine's ass and began to softly knead the humps, Blaine couldn't help but arch his back and growl. "Oh god, Kurt, I don't think I can hold back anymore."

A sharp jolt threw their bodies up and off the seat, and Blaine braced the boy below him for a hard landing. As Blaine fell on top of Kurt, hard, the boy below him practically screamed when Blaine's body was thrust into his. "Oh god, Blaine, it feels so good," Kurt moaned into Blaine's ear before he bit down on Blaine's shoulders to stutter his cries.

Blaine's mind went blank and he started to rub faster into Kurt's erection, grunting at each thrust against his lover's body. Below him, Kurt instinctively spread his thighs to press their bodies closer, and slithered his long legs around Blaine's taunt ones, rubbing them up and down in sync with the vibration of the carriage. Kurt's mind slowly unraveled as he heard Blaine's grunts got louder and louder against his ear. Before long, Kurt lost the rhythm of the coach and just started to writhe uncontrollably, letting out little frantic, high-pitched moans with each grind. The friction between their hardness, pressed together through thin layers of clothing, got so heated that he thought Blaine's cock was going to burn through their breeches.

"Oh Blaine, I think I'm coming, please do something!" Kurt pleaded as the desperate desire for release took over his body. Kurt was practically hysterical as he thrust up his hips and began rutting against Blaine, hoping the friction would bring him to his climax.

The unabashed display of desire from his lover sent Blaine over the edge. Blaine grabbed Kurt's hands and pressed them down hard over Kurt's head, stilling Kurt's upper torso as he plunged harder onto Kurt's hips, forcing the boy to buckle beneath him. As Blaine's orgasm hit him in midst of Kurt's hard moans, waves of electricity crackled through his body giving him an instance of ungodly strength. Blaine lifted Kurt up from the hips and slammed the boy hard against the back of the seat, grinding uncontrollably into the boy as his orgasm pulsated throughout his body.

The shock of being lifted made Kurt instinctively tightened his legs around Blaine's waist, and Kurt's orgasm soon followed as his cock felt each vibrating convulsion of Blaine's member. Pleasure poured like lava through his veins as he wrapped himself around Blaine, whimpering "Oh god, oh god…" as he rode out his climax rough and hard.

When Kurt came to his sense, he was laying in Blaine's arms, their foreheads lovingly pressed together. The carriage was no longer dimmed as before, indicating that they were now back within city boundaries.

"How are you feeling?" Blaine asked, tenderly stroking his husband's still flushed cheeks.

"Oh god, Blaine," Kurt whimpered, noticing the feeling of wetness in his breeches. "Do you think they heard the whole thing?"

Blaine palmed his face and chuckled, "It's okay, dear, I'll command them to never speak a word about this."

"But what about Finn," Kurt feared he's going to never be able to face his brother again. Poor Finn must be traumatized. "And I can't go home in these soiled pants…"

"Well, I guess you'll just have come up to my quarters to change, then," Blaine replied with a smirk.

"Oh Blaine," Kurt smacked Blaine on the chest, not enough to hurt but enough to elicit a laugh.

"What? My love, the night is still young!"

* * *

When Finn finally pulled the carriage up to the tavern in what seemed to be the longest ride of his life, he was definitely not prepared to see Blaine and Kurt hopping out of the carriage as if it was on fire and dashed directly into the establishment without so much a thank you or hello.

"Wait! Kurt! We need to go home!" Finn called out after Kurt.

"Shut up, Finn!" Kurt's response was barely audible as the lovebirds shot up the stairs and disappeared down the corridor in the direction of Blaine's room.

"Man, that is so not cool!" Finn ran after Kurt, determined to bring his brother back to the Hudson-Hummel Manner. It was time for him to put his foot down.

Unfortunately, the only foot he saw was a dainty little one that made him land flat on his face.

"Ouch!" Finn rubbed his nose as he helped himself up from the floor, "What was that for?"

"To make you stop meddling in other people's business," Rachel Barry stated with her hands on her hips. The rest of the Warblers smiled sympathetically at Finn as they dismounted their horses.

"Why do you keep getting in my way?" Finn took a step toward the petite girl with the haughty chin. Sure he's never fought a girl, but this one is a good two feet shorter than him. His chances can't be that bad.

"Dude," Jeff laid a hand on Finn's shoulder. "I wouldn't provoke her if I were you. You do not want to suffer the wrath of Rachel Berry."

"Well, then, what am I supposed to do now?" Finn looked up upstairs. It doesn't look like the newlyweds will be coming down anytime soon.

"Why not join us for a round of drinks?" Wes suggested. "We are practically family now."

"Fine," Finn grumbled as he followed the Warblers toward the bar.

"The next round of drinks is on me!" Rachel Barry declared excitedly as she planted herself on top a bar stool. "Now that Blaine is finally hitched and ready to settle down after this assignment, I am sure I will soon be promoted as the new captain of the Warbler!"

"God help us all." Finn said as he took a gulp of his ale.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Revised and edited thanks to my beta Sayuri Rose K.  
> Originally posted on LJ and FF.


	2. Goodbye is Just the Beginning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While traveling to be happily ever after with Blaine, Kurt was kidnapped by the Pirate Karofsky. Captain Blaine will not rest until his beloved is back in his arms. Klaine & Finchel, w/ Kurtofsky & Puckurt.
> 
> Glee Kink-Meme Fill
> 
> Originally posted on LJ and FF.

**Chapter Two – Goodbye is Just the Beginning**

Kurt shrieked at the top of the stairs when Blaine surprised him around the corner and pressed him against the wall, stealing a kiss. Giggling, the boy turned his head and pushed his husband away. Blaine rolled with the tease and tugged Kurt behind him down the empty walkway, only to push the boy into another embrace, nuzzling his neck.

"Stop it! It tickles!" Kurt laughed, and Blaine let out a low growl.

The newlyweds chased each other down the hall until they were both inside Blaine's chambers. Once the door closed, Blaine pressed Kurt against the door, pinning him by his wrists above his head.

"I need you so badly, Kurt," Blaine's voice was hoarse with desire as he leaned in to claim Kurt's mouth.

As the boy moaned and eagerly responded to the kiss, Blaine's callused hands brushed over Kurt's face, down his narrow waist, and stole underneath Kurt's silk shirt, sending shivers down his spine. The touch felt like warm water rolling over his skin, molding to every curve and plane of Kurt's body with a tenderness that stole his breath away.

Kurt whimpered when Blaine knelt down in front of him and began to tug at the belt buckle, working his fingers to undo the lace lattice of Kurt's skin-tight breeches.

"Wait," Kurt tugged at Blaine's hair, "Stop, Blaine..."

"What is it, love?" Blaine's looked up longingly.

"Ugh, I… I haven't taken a bath today," Kurt replied, turning a bright shade of red.

"I don't mind," Blaine laid a kiss on Kurt's bulge through the pant fabric.

"Then you need to take a bath first," Kurt looked away from his husband, vexed by Blaine's dismissal.

Blaine's hands froze at the tone of dismay in Kurt's voice, and the young captain slowly got up on his feet. Gently cupping the boy's face so that they are facing each other, Blaine laid a chaste kiss on Kurt's forehead.

"Mea culpa, Kurt, I let my urges get the better of me. Give me a moment. I'll have the innkeeper send up some hot water for us." Blaine's words were as soothing as his touch.

After Blaine went downstairs to order the bath, Kurt sat by the window, lost in thoughts beneath the pale moonlight. Kurt didn't know why all of a sudden he wanted to give Blaine a hard time. He just did. Was he nervous because he was about to consummate his marriage? Perhaps. Was he angry because this was not the wedding night he had planned out in detail since he was a little child? _But I was the one who asked for this_ , Kurt shook his head, forcing himself to accept the reality he has created.

Kurt Hummel has never had a lack of suitors, many of whom would have fought bitterly for his hand. While Lord Anderson was no exception, Kurt always knew Blaine was different. Blaine was not like the young men that came before him. Behind that gentle and caring façade is a determined young man wise beyond his years. More than that, Kurt yearned to see the new world that Blaine spoke so fondly of. Whenever Blaine would tell Kurt his stories at sea, recounting his many adventures on exotic lands, Kurt would feel something that he has always yearned for: Freedom. Pure, unchecked, freedom.

The sound of the chamber door opening startled Kurt, and the boy steadied himself to hide his apprehensions. Blaine watched two helpers as they lugged a wooden tub to the center of the room, and then filled it with buckets of steaming water. After their task was complete, Blaine gave each laborer a coin and locked the door behind them.

Hearing nothing but silence from across the room, Kurt snuck a nervous glance toward Blaine, and looked demurely away when he realized that Blaine has been studying him all this time like he was a lamb to the slaughter.

Not wanting to show his nervousness, Kurt stood up and began to undress himself. Despite avoiding eye contact with Blaine, the boy could feel a steady and intently gaze on his body, burning into his flesh as he slowly stripped naked in front of his husband.

Kurt nearly screamed as he felt Blaine's warmth pressed against his back. Blaine's hands roamed up and down Kurt's arm. "Let me bathe you," the captain whispered in Kurt's ear, and planted an innocent kiss on the curve of Kurt's shoulder.

Blaine helped Kurt step into the tub, and joined the countertenor after removing his garments. Using a washcloth, Blaine began to tenderly smooth over Kurt's body, drawing small and gentle circles on Kurt's pale skin. The warm, feathery graze of the washcloth slowly relaxed Kurt's taught muscles and the boy closed his eyelids with a sigh.

"Thank you, Kurt." Blaine's soft voice was barely a whisper, but it brought Kurt back to the present, and the boy looked curiously at his husband.

"Thank you for wanting to be with me," Words like a gentle melody. "Thank you, for choosing me."

Kurt stared at his husband, and for the first time in his life, he learned what a real heartache felt like.

Kurt was lying on the bed with his hands obediently by his side, naked and shivering as he felt Blaine's eyes fixating over his naked body. Slowly, Lord Anderson climbed on top of his angel. The look in Blaine's eyes was possessive and lustful, something which both pleased and frightened Kurt. What he saw was cold, naked desire, whereas before the boy had only seen tenderness and love. Unsure of how to react, Kurt kept silent, waiting to see what Blaine would do.

Kurt trembled slightly as Blaine reached down to graze the tip of his half erect cock with his tongue. Blaine licked the slit at the top of Kurt's hardening sex, then took Kurt's entire length into his mouth, relaxing his throat to deepen the clinch. He ran his tongue up the central vein and bit lightly at the base, milking the boy through his lips. Responding to Kurt's shocked gasp, Blaine began to suck forcefully and ran his tongue around Kurt's stiff erection, his hands roaming across Kurt's butt cheeks to grip the boy still. He heard Kurt's moaning grow louder and more passionate, and had to dig his fingers into Kurt to still the twitching of his hips. Just before Kurt's arousal approached its peak, though, Blaine stopped and unclenched his jaw while holding Kurt's hips so the boy could not thrust forward to quicken his pleasure.

"Blaine!" Kurt shrieked, trying to wiggle his hips free of the tight grip, begging for release.

"No," Blaine's voice was firm as he drew away from the boy. "Get on all fours, Kurt. I want to see where you will receive me."

Shaking with desire, Kurt labored to roll on his side and got up on his hands and knees, crying softly as his erect cock trembled in the cold night air.

Kurt hid his face in the pillow as he felt a finger slowly trailing across the fold between his balls and his anus, probing and feeling the most hidden place of his body, and eventually rubbing lightly on his hole.

"Don't look there," Kurt's voice was muffled through the pillow. "It's gross…"

"It's beautiful, Kurt," Blaine drew little circles along the rim of Kurt's hole, gently pushing the tip of his finger through the dusty pink rim and watching the hole flex around it.

Kurt nearly fainted when he felt a wet, warm muscle brushing over his anus, slowly trying to wiggle and push through the tight fold of the ring. Unaccustomed to the foreign intrusion, Kurt instinctively clutched his cheeks. Feeling the ring tense up, Blaine laid little cat licks around the rim until the ring slowly relaxed. Kurt shuddered when Blaine's fingers began to crawl inside his hole and slowly pried the ring open. He cried out as Blaine's tongue ran over his crack, inside his parted legs, and darted into his hole.

The boy began to claw into the pillow as Blaine rhythmically thrust his tongue into the tight ring. Blaine's penis was hurting, and he transferred the lust and frustration onto Kurt, occasionally grazing his teeth against the sensitive skin beneath the hole. He could feel the ring of the anus contracting to pull him deeper. And Blaine complied. He could feel Kurt's body heaving madly before him, lost in the rhythm, lost in the waves of pleasure.

"Oh god, Blaine," Kurt couldn't still his high-pitched cries as Blaine slithering his tongue over the sensitive linings. Digging his fingers inside, Blaine began to prepare Kurt, tugging and pressing two, then three fingers to loosen the passage that is about to receive him.

Kurt cried out as a fingertip lightly grazed over a sensitive spot buried deep inside him. It was like a button only Blaine could operate. Every time Blaine's finger brushed against it, jolts of electricity rippled out from Kurt's lower abdomen, making him curl his toes in waves of pleasure.

Kurt's trembling legs gave away, and his hips began dropping to the bed. Blaine caught him with his forearm, stilling the boy in place and murmuring into his ass. "God, I can't wait to be one with you, Kurt. It's going to feel so good when I'm buried deep inside you."

The vibration of Blaine's words, his hot breath against Kurt's hole made the boy shudder uncontrollably, and he just knew he needed to have his release. Kurt reached back with one hand and began to tug at his own throbbing erection. But Blaine quickly stilled Kurt's hand and brought it back to the bed. Only in his own time did he encircle Kurt's cock with his fingers, catapulting him into climax while his tongue felt every exploding pulse through Kurt's clinched anus.

Kurt cried out and fell on to his side, muscles weak as he bathed in the aftermath of his climax. Waves of emotion overwhelmed Kurt and the boy began to sob quietly into his hands.

A hand was under his chin, forcing him to look up to Blaine's golden eyes. In that moment something passed between them, things in the silence best left unsaid, and Kurt knew that he was well and truly lost. His defense laid bare, his camouflage stripped away. He was mesmerized, like a small animal by a giant jungle cat. Slowly, inevitably, Blaine lowered himself over him again, their eyes still locked. They were in their own private place where nothing will ever be able to touch them.

Kurt sighed as Blaine relaxed himself on top of the boy. The tension flowed out of his body with his expelled breath, as their lips touched finally. Soft as the flutter of a butterfly's wings.

For a while they just stayed, skin pressed against skin, with only the slight erratic exchange of breathing between them. Then in a shuddering moment Kurt felt a release pass through him, and for the first time he let himself kiss Blaine the way he has always wanted to. Kurt's tongue slowly traced the full curve of Blaine's lower lip, then circled above to taste the delicate indentation in the center of the upper lip. Slowly Kurt moved his head from side to side, feeling the velvet of Blaine's lips brush gently against his.

For Blaine, it was pleasure beyond words, to be kissed like that. He had never imagined Kurt would kiss in a way that bared his heart and soul.

Even now, seeing Kurt through the haze of desire, the perfection of the face below him never failed to take Blaine's breath away. The smooth curve of the brow, the captivating sea-green eyes, and the chiseled slope of the jaw line. Blaine just wanted to take Kurt away, and lock him away somewhere so that no one else could ever look on that haunting beauty.

Blaine threaded his fingers with Kurt's as they locked their lips in a bruising kiss.

They were devouring each other, plundering each other's mouths. Kurt ran his hands greedily over smooth skin, tracing the muscles on Blaine's back, feeling them undulate underneath his palms as their bodies writhed against each other. Kurt could feel Blaine's hardness pressing into his thigh like a burning brand. One rough palm brushed over his nipple, abrading it. Kurt whimpered, begging for more. The sound did unprecedented things to Blaine's heart. He tore his mouth away from Kurt's, and slid his lips to the nipples below, which his fingers had teased to hardness. Blaine's hands had skimmed down to Kurt's knee, and then traveled slowly upward. Brazenly, Kurt opened his legs wider, affording the hand better access. Blaine explored him unhurriedly, taking Kurt's newly found erection in an infuriating light grasp, testing the heavy furred weight below, then traveling lower still, teasing the still wet hole with a finger. Suddenly Kurt's body was on fire, he was desperate for Blaine to take him, to possess him completely.

Blaine did not know which evoked the greater response in him, the expression of desire on Kurt's face as he pushed the tip of his cock into the tight orifice, or the slick heat that surrounded him. Kurt's eyes were shut, but the lips were open, and the boy's breath was coming in short, ragged gasps. Blaine forced himself to stop for a minute, though he hardly knew how, so that he could engrave the image on his mind. Something rose in him. He did not know what it was, until he found the words on his tongue.

"Forever."

Kurt's eye's fluttered open, and with a longing look returned the promise. "Forever."

Blaine reached back and grabbed Kurt's ankles, his grip was strong and unbreakable, and Kurt could do nothing but watch. Blaine brought Kurt's legs up and rested them on his shoulders, and without warning, plunged into Kurt.

Kurt made a strangled sound as Blaine pushed into him. Each of the captain's powerful thrusts wrung a cry from the countertenor, but beneath the pain ran a current of pleasure that slowly grew, until it overwhelmed him. Kurt felt tears run down his face, his painfully hard sex brushed and drubbed against Blaine's lower abdomen and again and again Kurt felt jolts of pure elation shoot through him as Blaine's thrusts brushed against the sensitive spot on the inner wall of his hole.

The fervent, satiny tunnel opened to take Blaine, swallowing him whole. The length of their bodies fitted together, and for Blaine, it was like riding in moonlight, for he could not distinguish the silvery light of the bright moon on his back from the radiant creature beneath him.

Blaine forced himself to slow down, slowing his thrusts so he could savor the sensation of the hot, pliant passage caressing every inch of his shaft. Drawing the length of his sex slowly to the tight roughness of the entrance, and then driving back into the melting softness within.

"Tell me how it feels," Blaine's voice was all consuming. "Tell me what it feels like, having me buried inside you…"

"My insides are burning," The soft whimper emanating deep from Kurt's throat would jolt into a shriek with each fill. Kurt was barely able to suck in a breath. "It's like you are splitting me open with a burning iron, it hurts, but it feels so good, Blaine. Oh god," Kurt threw his head back to receive another thrust. "It's like you are branding me, branding my soul."

Kurt could not resist the relentless rhythm of Blaine's movements inside him. He found himself eagerly raising his legs to entwine about Blaine's waist, bracing himself against the quickening pace of the thrusts. His body arched forth, pressing closer against Blaine, letting him deeper inside.

The heat that surrounded Blaine's erection was as fierce, bringing him up floating on top of waves of pleasure. Kurt's boneless body coursed like a winding river in his arms, pleading for more with each curve of the waist. He pressed his mouth against Kurt's, licking against the yielding tongue as he drove into the core of his being with unmerciful strength and speed.

The young countertenor closed his eyes, his innocence lost as he placed his arms over Blaine's butt cheeks, forcing them to push harder into himself.

Blaine's ragged breathing picked up and the captain bucked hard into the boy. His body became tight and taunt as Kurt felt Blaine's cock spasm uncontrollably inside him, shooting his cum deep inside. Kurt felt his body shatter, felt himself drown. He cried out, his voice harsh in the darkness, as he felt himself come, hard and hot.

The lovers lay panting and gasping on the bed. After a few minutes, Blaine rolled onto his side, looking deep into Kurt's eyes. The predatory look had vanished, replaced by tenderness and love. Kurt's eyelids began dropping and the boy struggled to fight the exhaustion that pulled at him. Blaine smiled and kissed Kurt gently on the forehead. He pulled the weary boy into his arms and sighed happily as Kurt mumbled something incoherent and snuggled up against his chest.

* * *

It only took three rounds of ale for Finn to become best friends with the officers of the Warbler.

"I mean, Quinn is perfect," Finn shook his head to stop the room from spinning. "She's beautiful, smart, and everything a man would want in a wife. She's going to give my parents the perfect grandchildren they've always wanted, and we are supposed to live happily ever after in the house that has been in my family for centuries."

"Why is it that I hear a big 'but' coming?" Jeff patted the tall miserable looking chap, gestured to the rest of the table, where the fellow officers all nodded their heads in anticipation. "Come on, Finn, do tell."

"Yeah, it sounds like a great life," Trent said. "So what's the problem?"

"I don't know," Finn leaned on his hands. "I just know something isn't right in all of this, not right for me, I mean. Sometimes I would wake up in the middle of the night, panting and out of breath, like I have no idea where I am or even who I am. I mean, I know I'm Finn Hudson, son of Carol Hudson and also a son to Burt Hummel. I am going to marry Quinn Fabray and take over the family estate, then have two children. Everything should be so clear and simple."

"For some people it is clear and simple," Wes comforted, waiving the barkeep for another round of ale. "But that's not always the case. Look at us, for example, some of the officers here see the sea as their calling…" Wes gestured to the petite brunette who smirked back with a two-finger salute. "But for some others, they want to, or need to, go out and actively search for their destiny. To try things out, maybe get lost on their way, and then finding their way back again –"

"I always knew I wanted to be an adventurer, to brave the seven seas and to see the world, ever since I was just a little girl," Rachel butted in, knocking Wes off the bench. "All my uncles and aunts told me to be a proper young lady, to dress up in pretty dresses and wear silk bonnets. Well, I told them to all go to hell, and my two dads supported my decision. I won my first sharpshooting champion ship when I was nine years old, joined the naval academy when I came of age, and never looked back."

"For what Rachel lacks in social skills," David chuckled, "She makes up for it in enthusiasm. Whenever things look bad out on the sea and everyone is discouraged, you can always count on Rachel Barry to never give up."

The Warblers joined in the laughter as Thad helped Wes get back into his seat.

"What I was trying to say is that maybe you need to go out and live a little," Wes said to Finn, "Before you settle down. Maybe your mind is trying to tell you that there is something else you want with your life."

"I have never thought of leaving this place," Finn chewed over the idea. "I always thought that getting stuck here is just how my life is going to be."

"To each his own," Jeff said. "There ain't nothing wrong with settling down with a nice girl and nesting."

"Nesting, bah," Rachel scoffed. "Rachel Berry does not nest."

"Does she always refer to herself in the third person?" Finn whispered to Nick. The officer looked at Finn apologetically.

"I think if she could, she would employ her own narrator to follow her around."

"I just want to get out of this stuffy old place, where everything is as it always will be." Rachel said passionately. "What is the fun in doing what everyone else wants you to do? If I stay here then everything is decided for me. Out there, we are our own kings. We make our own destinies."

"It's true," Trent cocked his impossibly perfect eyebrow. "Some of us come from nobility; some of us grew up on the streets. It doesn't matter where you come from, when we are on the Warbler, when we conduct missions in the colonies, we are all self-made men. It's not always easy; some of us may not make it back alive. But you are judged by your courage and loyalty, by who you are, not by what you have and have not."

"Not to mention we are on the cusp of a new world order," Wes agreed. "The spice trade is opening up whole new worlds for our taking. We are at the dawn of a new era where we get to create how things are. We are writing our own history out there."

Thad and Nick nodded.

"It's kind of an amazing experience," Nick mused. "Exploring and learning about things that you've never even dreamed of."

"It's not easy when you are traveling in close quarters on a ship, at the mercy of mother nature," David added, "But take this tour, for example, the Warbler has been commissioned to accompany the commerce ships of the East India Company to the settlements in Bombay, and then bring back goods such as silk, cotton, tea and spices. The spice trade is the most lucrative business right now, and we are all going to come back as millionaires."

"India is definitely Her Majesty's crown jewel," Wes's speech was beginning to slur, which only highlighted his excitement. "It's a place that only existed in fairy tales. The lush greenery and the exotic animals are beyond imagination. Not to mention the abundant resources. It's without a doubt, one of the most fertile places on the planet. Have you ever seen an elephant, Finn?"

"No, only in books," Finn replied, searching in his memory.

"It might be the only thing taller than Finn!" Nick joked, and the Warblers roared in laughter as another round of ale was passed around.

* * *

As the night drew to a close, Blaine left a slumbering Kurt in his chambers and joined Finn and the Warblers in the tavern for a round of drinks as his friends congratulated him on his nuptials. There was a fair amount of teasing as well, causing much stress on Finn's heart. But the Warbler's heartfelt celebration was contagious, and Finn could not deny that he also felt happy for Blaine and his little brother.

The moon has already disappeared in the sky, and both Blaine and Finn knew that the brothers must return to the manner before dawn. Finn fetched the carriage while Blaine carried the sleeping boy down the stairs.

Blaine laid Kurt on the seat in the carriage, his golden eyes dark with concealed emotion. "I long for the day I shall see you again, my love," Blaine laid a tender kiss on the boy's forehead, eliciting a little stir.

"Take care of him, Finn," Blaine could not peel his eyes away from his husband.

"We will," Finn gave Blaine a loaded look. "Burt and Carol… will take good care of Kurt, I promise."

* * *

Kurt Hummel woke up from one of the best sleeps of his life. Stretching his arms above his head and bathing lazily in the afternoon sun, Kurt snuggled back against the satin and lace pillows in his bed.

His own bed.

In his room.

Kurt sat up and, for a second, thought that the night before had been just a dream. Then he looked down and noticed the way he was dressed. Kurt was in the same clothes he wore last night in their mad dash to the naval barracks, but Blaine must have dressed him after their lovemaking, trying his best but failing to complete all the intricate ties and knots that, when done properly, accentuated Kurt's impeccable form.

The thought that his husband dressed him elicited a wide smile on Kurt's lips. But a tear trickled down his cheek as he knew that in this very moment, the Warbler has already set sail for the South China Sea, taking his husband away from him.

Kurt raised his wrist for a sniff. It smelled like Blaine, a familiar musky smell of spice and sandalwood that, last night, enveloped him in endless burning passion. Kurt hugged himself and cried into his bed.

Then a scream from downstairs got Kurt's attention, and he rose from his bed as he heard footsteps rushing up the winding staircase. After barely a knock, Carol and Burt barged into Kurt's bedroom.

"Kurt, do you know about this? Have you seen this letter?" Burt was holding a piece of parchment in his hands, and Carol began to sob.

"What is going on?" Kurt frowned as he took the parchment from his father. He started to read the words, noticing the scribble-like penmanship that obviously belonged to Finn.

_Dear Mom, Burt and Kurt,_

_As you read this letter, I will already have boarded the Warbler and sailed off to sea. Sorry I couldn't say goodbye. I know that if I told you, you would probably talk me out of it. I needed to decide for myself, just this once. I promise that I will write as often as I can._

_Please tell Quinn that I love her. I know she is perfect, and I will understand if she does not want to wait for me._

_Please take care of yourselves, and take care of Kurt. Actually, I think it's just better for you to listen to Kurt and let him take care of you._

_I hope to come back a better man._

_Yours,_

_Finn Hudson_

The parchment fell from Kurt's trembling hands and floated to the floor.


	3. Beneath the Stilled Waters (Part 1 of 2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While traveling to be happily ever after with Blaine, Kurt was kidnapped by the Pirate Karofsky. Captain Blaine will not rest until his beloved is back in his arms. 
> 
> WARNING: This chapter begins the dub-con and non-con portion of the story. This is a kink-meme fill, guys, so please be forewarned.
> 
> Originally posted on LJ and FF.

**Chapter Three: Beneath the Stilled Waters (Part 1 of 2)**

Burt Hummel never knew a person can shed so many tears. Ever since Finn took off, Carol and Kurt have remained in a constant state of sobbing mess. What baffled Burt was that while Carol's tears would flow liberally at the sight of Finn's old shirts, at the whiff of Finn's cologne, or even at the thought of grilled cheese, Kurt's seemed to erupt whenever he hears any music, or if a bird would fly by. It was as if they became, all of a sudden, made of water.

To make it worse, whenever Quinn Fabray would come over, it would turn into a full-fledged cry fest.

Which was happening right now, in the Sitting Room inside the Hummel-Hudson Manner.

Burt stood silently by the far side of the room. He would rather deal with the angry Russel Fabray any day than to have to play comforter to his wife and son and supposed daughter-in-law. Particularly because, deep down inside, Burt was actually very proud of Finn. While Burt wanted both of his sons to have a safe, protected life, he always thought a man should go and make a mark for himself.

But Burt wouldn't be caught dead speaking those words to his poor, distraught wife.

"How could Finn have done this to his poor mama?" Carol cried into Quinn's shoulder, and the pretty blond nodded with her own sob in response.

"I can't believe he would leave me, right before our big wedding," Quinn dabbed her eyes with a silk handkerchief. "We are supposed to be the toast of the town, the It Couple!"

Turning to Kurt, Quinn eyed him questioningly, "How did you not know that Finn was going to take off? You are his brother! You are supposed to talk some sense into him when he does crazy things like this. Did you not see this coming?"

"Are you accusing me of sabotaging your wedding?" Kurt retorted furiously. "Because that's crossing a line, even for a queen-bee wannabe like you."

"It's completely possible," Quinn's delicate voice was quivering with anger. "I know you were jealous of us, you were jealous of me. You didn't like that I was marrying the most eligible bachelor in town. Not only that, you were jealous that Finn was going to inherit the estate and that I'll be the mistress of the house. So it has to be you. Finn didn't even know any sailors."

Quinn was practically yelling, "I've seen you cozy with them, particularly that good-for-nothing captain, what's his name… Anderson. That's right, a lord who consorts with low-lives. Maybe you asked them to kidnap Finn and set this whole thing up so you can ruin my life!"

"Oh Quinn, how can you say such a thing to poor Kurt," Carol soothed, "Why, he's been just as sad after Finn left as we are."

"Hm, crocodile tears," Quinn hissed.

"Okay, that's enough," Burt stood in to defend his son. "I know my son. Kurt would never do such a thing – "

Before Burt could finish, Kurt already jumped to his feet and gave Quinn his coldest stare.

"Listen, missy, because I am only going to say this once." Kurt's eyes could turn everything to stone. "Finn left because of you. You were suffocating him. This life was suffocating him. Finn was always the golden boy. But do you, any of you, know how hard it was for him to always be the perfect son, perfect brother, and perfect husband? Especially because no one has ever asked him if that was what he wanted?"

"And let me tell you something about Kurt Hummel," Kurt tilted his chin haughtily. "I don't give a damn about your wedding, or the house, or your status. You know why? Because Kurt Hummel is indifferent. I know it's a strain for that pretty little head of yours to believe that the world does not evolve around you, but get over yourself, sister. Wake the hell up."

Kurt took a threatening step toward Quinn, his body nearly shaking with anger. "And if I ever hear you speak an ill-word about my husband again, Quinn Fabray, there will be hell to pay."

"Wait, what did you just say?" Burt thought he must have misheard. "Kurt, did you say… husband?"

"Yes, I said husband," Kurt was so overcame with emotions that he held nothing back. Days of missing Blaine, missing his voice, his touch, and not being able to speak a single word about it was pushing Kurt to his limit. "Papa, I was hoping to wait until after things calm down a bit before telling you. But yes, Lord Anderson and I are married. We wed the night before the Warbler set sail. And when he comes back, I will be the new master of the Anderson House."

"What? But how," Burt stuttered. The whole room looked on Kurt in shock. "I did not give permission…"

"Finn was my witness, and the ceremony was officiated at a church," Kurt held his ground. He knew what he did was unheard of in their day and age, where children do as they are told, and parents dictate whom they marry. But Kurt Hummel always did as he pleased. "It is proper, and it is done, Papa. I love Blaine, and I need you to be happy for me, for us!"

"Kurt, what have you done?" Burt was beyond aghast, and on the couch, Quinn started fanning a fainting Carol. "Do you know how dangerous the lives of sailors are? They are soldiers, Kurt, which means they fight wars. They battle pirates, smugglers, and on top of that, they are at the mercy of the ocean." Burt's eyes softened as he looked at his child. "I didn't want you to marry Lord Anderson because I didn't want you to ever have to experience the pain of losing a spouse, Kurt. What if something happens to Blaine, and he doesn't come back?"

"How can you say such thing?" Kurt's red eyes swelled with new tears. "I know Blaine will come back to me, I just know it. And Finn will, too. I know I will see them again."

"Then what?" Burt tried to reason with his headstrong boy. "You know the Anderson Estate is in shambles. They may have a noble title, but their family has been penniless for decades. Do you know what kind of life you are signing on with this Anderson kid?"

"Yes, I do, Papa." Kurt held his head high. "I have bound myself to the Andersons, and if that means I must live in poverty for the rest of my days, then so be it."

"Well, I am not going to allow it, not when I still have a breath left in me," Burt reached for Kurt's hand and started to drag him out of the room. "You and I are going to the Magistrate's Office to annul the marriage right this moment."

"No, Papa!" Kurt tugged at his father's tight hold, but Burt was too strong for him. Kurt was hoping for a more appropriate time to disclose something so private, so intimate, but it was now or never.

"It's too late, Papa. Blaine and I have already consummated our marriage." Kurt was too busy dispelling his father's threat to even blush. "We lay together as husband and husband, and it was glorious."

Burt froze, and Kurt was finally able to free himself from the grip. Burt turned from red to white, and then back to red again, shifting between the anger at his son for defying his wishes, the horror of what the townsfolk will say of such haste union, and the thought of Lord Anderson compromising his son. Oh god, his son, his little boy who will always be eight years old in his eyes, had sex. Kurt had sex. Quinn gasped at the scandalous words, and dropped her fan as Carol finally passed out for good.

* * *

Despite Kurt's embarrassment of having to disclose his sex life to his parents, at the end he was glad it happened. After that big family explosion, things quieted down in the Hummel-Hudson household. Kurt misses Blaine and Finn dearly, but the family came together and slowly adjusted to Finn's absence and Kurt's marital status.

Just as Kurt thought he was resigned to waiting, a wave of letters arrived. Blaine and Finn wrote as often as they could while at sea, and they were finally able to send them home after arriving at their destination. Through his letters, Finn would recount his clumsiness at learning everything about seafaring, how the officers are teaching him how to fence, and the unimaginable wonders he has seen. And Blaine, well, Blaine's letters were for Kurt's eyes only.

Then the gifts began to trickle in. At first it was just a couple of beautiful iridescent sea shells that well-traveled merchants would drop off for Kurt – a favor for their pal Captain Anderson. Then the shells became yards of bright-colored silk, embroidered with gold threads in exotic patterns, as well as raw wool from Kashmir, and more Assam tea the Hummel-Hudson house could ever drink.

But with each gift Kurt's heart sank deeper, his sighs got longer, for he knew they are an indication that Blaine will not be home anytime soon. The merchants told him that the spice trade with the Far East has boomed, and Her Majesty has personally ordered a build-up of the Kingdom's maritime presence in the Asian seas to protect the many trade routes. Lord Blaine Anderson, being both a nobility who can represent the crown, as well as the highest ranking officer in the command, was going to have to shoulder the responsibility, and may even be appointed Viceroy of the sovereign to oversee the entire continent.

Kurt's longing for Blaine grew more pressing when words arrived that the Anderson House was now being renovated to restore its former glory. In Blaine's letters, he asked Kurt to present himself to Blaine's parents in his absence, so Kurt can legitimately design the house that they will one day reside in. But Kurt will have none of it. Kurt may be brazen in front of his loved ones, but he sure wasn't ready to just walk into a strange home with strangers and declare himself master of the household. No, the first day Kurt Hummel walks into the Anderson House, it would be with his husband, Lord Anderson.

Kurt thought his prayers were answered when a familiar face showed up on the doorsteps of the Manner one day. But rather than the face he had dreamed of for months, it was David, Blaine's trusted friend and a representative of the East India Company.

Sitting in the Drawing Room, Burt, Carol, and Kurt listened intently to David as the latter told many tales of Blaine and Finn's adventures.

"… and Finn seriously thought he could catch a mermaid to give to Rachel as her birthday present!" David was just finishing the story of how Finn stole a fishing boat in the middle of the night and came back with nothing but nets full of seaweed, when he noticed that Kurt was the only person in the room not laughing.

"I know it must be difficult for you," David reached out to console Kurt. "Blaine misses you very much. He talks about you all the time. He even spoke of you with the Emperor of India. Well, it was because the Emperor had offered Blaine one of his daughters in marriage. But don't worry. Blaine quickly set the record straight that he is already taken."

"When is he coming back?" Kurt finally got to the only question he was interested in, fighting back a tear.

"Well, that's what I'm here to talk about today," David looked down uncomfortably. "Blaine has been appointed Viceroy by Her Majesty the Queen. Which means he will govern all of South Asia in the name of the crown. But it also means he will be there for at least several years."

David glanced at Burt nervously as he addressed a heartbroken Kurt.

"So Blaine asked me to ask you to join him in Bombay. He has taken up residency there, and he would very much like to have you join him as his husband."

"What?" Burt roared before Kurt could reply. "Is Anderson out of his mind? Kurt is staying exactly where he is. If he wants to see my son, have him get his ass back here."

"Sir," David replied. "I understand your concern, and should Kurt chooses to go, we can arrange passage for him on a naval warship. I can assure you, sir, that it will be safe and that Kurt will be well taken care of."

"When does the next ship sail?" Kurt's lyrical voice cut through the tension like a shear.

"Kurt, you can't be serious…" Burt closed his eyes with a pained expression on his face.

"Well," David responded. "I believe the next naval ship will be ready to go in a couple of months. That should give you plenty of time to prepare for the trip."

"A couple of months?" Kurt pursed his lips. "Do you not have any other ships going to Bombay?"

"Yes, the East India Company has merchant ships that depart for India almost every week, but I thought…"

"Then get me on one of those merchant ships." Kurt said with determination. "I need but a few days to pack. I will travel light, so David, just make it happen."

"Kurt," Burt tried to dissuade his son from such a bold step.

"Papa, I am a married man now, and it is only proper that I take up my place next to my husband," The boy gave his father a look that ceased any further discussion. "I will be okay, I promise. And when I come back, I'll make sure Finn comes home with me."

* * *

It has been ten days of smooth sailing on the Loudoun, a merchant ship of the East India Company, and Kurt was relieved by the calm waters. Despite the primitive plumbing, the cramp quarters, and the disgusting meal rations that don't bear the slightest resemblance to food, Kurt held on, only because he knew that each passing day brought him closer to his beloved.

Compared to the crew and the other passengers, Kurt's accommodations were like the royal treatment. The crew and the travelers, mostly traders and merchants, shared a damp room lined with moldy hammocks in the sublevel of the ship. Kurt, instead, had a cabin all to himself. And while it was barely the size of Kurt's closet at home, it had a bed, a desk and even a view of the ocean. To David's credit, Kurt was even assigned a cabin boy, Zachery. If Kurt wanted to dine in his own room, Zachery would make sure to fetch his meals. Should Kurt desired to bathe, Zachery would prepare the small bucket of clean water for him.

A scrawny boy with mopped blond hair, Zachery was but a few years younger than Kurt. But having been a lowly servant surviving off the scraps of the ship's crew, Zachery thought tending to Kurt was like living in heaven. Carol had made sure Kurt's cabin was stuffed with biscuits and jam and chocolate, all of which Kurt generously shared with the help.

After ten days together, the two boys have become well acquainted. Zachery brought Kurt's lunch to him, and began to tidying up the room. Kurt stared at his plate of grub on the desk, and chose to remain in bed, looking longingly out the window.

"Master Kurt," Zach looked up from his chores. "Are you not hungry?"

Kurt shook his head, and gave Zach a meek smile. "No, not really. If you want, you can have it."

Letting out a happy squeak, Zach grabbed the plate and shoved the food into his mouth with his hands. Then noticing the shocked look on Kurt's face, Zach reluctantly picked up the fork.

Suddenly, the Captain of the Loudoun shouted from the helm above, "Everyone alert!" A few sharp blows of a whistle followed, indicating everyone must move to their positions.

Curious, Kurt exited his cabin.

"Captain, what is going on?"

"Master Kurt, sir, we are in dangerous waters and our sailing master said he saw another ship advancing on us," The Captain, an elderly man whose winkled face showed the marks of the sea, replied. "This is an area notorious for pirates, and we mustn't let our guards down. It's best that you stay in your cabin while we pass through these waters."

Kurt shivered at the thought of pirates, and quickly rushed back to his cabin.

"Have you ever seen a pirate?" Kurt asked a frightened looking Zach as he lay back in bed.

"No sir," Zach shook his head. "But best be that we never see one. I heard that when they come on board, they kill everybody, and then burn the whole ship to the bottom of the sea. They are ruthless! Especially the Pirate King Karofsky, I heard he is the meanest and baddest of them all."

Zach leaned in and whispered, "I heard that he has a special island where he collects all the skulls of the people he killed, and it's piled high as a mountain!"

The thought of a mountain of skulls made Kurt clutch his blanket close to his chest.

"You can go now, Zach, I'll call for you when I need you." Kurt tried not to look alarmed, and dismissed his servant. Eventually, Kurt drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Kurt didn't know how long he's been out, but a strong jolt shook him awake from his slumber, and it felt like the ship has rammed against something. Kurt pulled aside the curtain to investigate, and was shocked to see another ship close-up against the Loudoun. Kurt could hear men shouting and fighting on the deck.

Frightened, Kurt dragged a chair with his trembling fingers hoping to jam the door closed. But he was too late.

The door banged open, and a large man dressed in all black, with a saber in one hand and a pistol in another, came face to face with the countertenor. Kurt was paralyzed with fear as he looked up at the blood stained face before him, like a deer before a lion.

The man furrowed his thin eyebrows as he studied Kurt up and down, sending a shudder down the boy's spine. Then he moved forward, forcing Kurt to stumble back with each broad step.

"Pretty little thing, aren't you," the pirate holstered his pistol and reached out to touch Kurt's hair, but the boy jerked his head away.

"And feisty, too." A smirk rose on a corner of his mouth. "You are going to be a fun one to play with."

Forcing Kurt's body against the wall, the man clutched Kurt's jaw and pried his mouth open with a rough squeeze. The pirate leaned down and kissed the boy roughly, thrusting his thick tongue inside the wet cavern, licking and tasting his prize.

Kurt didn't know where he got the strength, but with one last shove he was finally able to push the man off of him.

The pirate laughed, "I suggest you don't struggle –"

Slap.

The stunned look was mutual between Kurt and the pirate. Kurt was shocked that he actually slapped the man, and the pirate was caught off guard by the unexpected slap.

"Very well," the pirate spit to the side, his eyes red with madness. "If you want it rough, then let's play rough. " He grabbed Kurt by the hair and dragged the screaming boy out of the room and slammed him down on the deck floor. Kurt trembled in horror as he felt burning flames all around him. The Loudoun was consumed by a sea of fire. There were so many people yelling, running… Kurt felt wetness on his hand, and looked down on the floor finding it painted in red. Next to him was the body of the captain, warm blood still spilling out of the clean cut on his neck.

Kurt wanted to scream, but it felt like he lost his voice.

The pirate in black hoisted Kurt to his feet, "Karofsky."

"What?" Kurt could barely force the sound out of his dry throat.

"That's my name. Remember it. I want to hear you scream it when I have you tonight."

Kurt could only stare wide-eyed at the Pirate King Karofsky as he handed the boy to another set of abrasive hands.

"Take him back to the Titan with the others, Puck" Kurt saw he was now in the arms of a young Mohawk-haired man with chiseled features and predatory eyes. "Finish the rest of the crew and burn the whole thing down."

"Aye, aye, Captain." Puck replied with a smile.

* * *


	4. Beneath the Stilled Waters (Part 2 of 2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While traveling to be happily ever after with Blaine, Kurt was kidnapped by the Pirate Karofsky. Captain Blaine will not rest until his beloved is back in his arms. 
> 
> WARNING: This chapter includes dub-con and non-con. It is also Kurtofsky smut. This is a kink-meme fill, guys, so please be forewarned.
> 
> Originally posted on LJ and FF.

**Chapter 3: Beneath the Stilled Waters (Part 2 of 2)**

Puck carried Kurt across the thin plank connecting the two ships and tied him beneath the sails to the main-mast. Kurt felt hopeless as he watched the pirates methodically execute the crew of the Loudoun, piling their bodies in middeck as they raided the ship for cargo and supplies.

A loud sob caught Kurt's attention. He hadn't even noticed that there were others tied to the mast with him. Kurt immediately recognized that familiar mop of blond hair.

"Zachery?" Kurt had thought the boy was already dead.

"Master Kurt?" Zachery wiggled his hold to move closer to Kurt. "Oh thank god, you are alright."

"What's going on?" Kurt asked, "Why are we tied up to this big pole?"

"Oh Master Kurt," Zachery began to bawl loudly, and the other tied up prisoners joined him. "We are doomed. The pirates didn't kill us because they want us to service them. I've heard the stories. They are going to have their way with us and then throw us overboard. We are all going to die!"

"They can't kill me," Kurt tried to sound brave. "My husband works for Her Majesty's Navy."

"Best not say anything, sir," Zachery suggested. "Pirates are sworn enemies of the Navy. All pirates are hanged, it's the law."

Kurt heard a loud crack and gasped as he saw the mast of the Loudoun buckled. Slowly, the ship began to sink below to the ocean floor while still engulfed in flames and smoke. All that was left were some floating spot fires and pieces of wooden board littered across the ocean surface.

Kurt was still in a stupor when he heard Zachery scream. He spun around and cried out in horror as a burly man grabbed Zachery and began to tear the shirt off his back. Zachery shrieked and began to run, only to be cornered by another.

"Stop it!" Kurt screamed as the men descended on Zachery like two ravenous wolves. Kurt could no longer see through the stinging pain in his tear-filled eyes, but he could hear Zachery's unanswered pleas and cries.

Kurt's body shook violently as he felt a pair of hands reach down to untie him from the mast and push him roughly to the floor. A monster of a man with an ugly scar across his face hovered over Kurt briefly before licking at Kurt's neck and grinding himself into the boy. Kurt nearly gagged at the foul smell and the realization of what the man wanted.

"No, please, please stop," Kurt struggled, but it only served to anger the pirate.

"Shut up, you bitch!" The man slapped Kurt across the face and began to tear at Kurt's breeches. When he realized that Kurt's pants were too tight to be tugged off, he flipped a whimpering Kurt onto his stomach and cut the fabric with a knife. Brutally he thrust a finger inside Kurt, and Kurt let out aloud sob as he felt the finger digging inside of him, the protruding knuckles bending and flexing.

"Oh yeah, you are tight," Kurt could hear his captor say as he sobbed violently into the floor.

"He doesn't belong to you, Azimio," A familiar voice came overhead and the finger suddenly withdrew from Kurt. Kurt looked up and saw Karofsky landing a loud punch on Azimio and the man with the scar went down on the deck.

"You know the rules," Karofsky stomped on Azimio's hand and began to increase pressure. "I already claimed this one."

"Sorry, Captain!" Azimio tried to pull his fingers from under Karofsky, but was soon howling in pain. "Puck never told me nothing! I didn't know, I swear!"

"Thought I said something," Puck smirked as he buried his cock inside the mouth of another captive that was being fucked from the back by a menacing looking man. "Might have forgotten. Sorry!"

Karofsky growled, and lifted his heel to let Azimio go. In another time he would have both Azimio and Puck whipped for insubordination. But they were at the peak of their after-raid trance, and everyone was drunk off the blood lust. The air was filled with primal desires, oozing with aggression and violence. He needed to let his men ride out their high tonight.

Snaking an arm under Kurt, Karofsky lifted the boy and helped him walk toward the Captain's quarters. Kurt clung to Karofsky as each scream and moan behind him drew out a sharp shudder in his body.

"Don't look back," Karofsky said, almost soothingly, as he pushed open his cabin door.

"Wait," Kurt grabbed the doorframe, refusing to enter the room. "I can't…"

Karofsky let go of Kurt and the boy collapsed onto the floor.

"You have a choice." Karofsky stood over Kurt and laid down his fate. "You can choose to go back there, or you can submit to me."

Kurt looked toward the gang bang at middeck and let out a painful sob as he watched the faces he had shared meals with for the past ten days grimaced in pain, their bodies flopping beneath the grunting animals. He could barely make out Zachery against the dimming sky, but he couldn't miss the streaks of blood and cum down the legs of the cabin boy.

"They will not survive," Karofsky said calmly. "No one has ever lived through the night."

Kurt turned his head, and looked inside the cabin door. All he could see was darkness, like a portal to hell waiting to consume his soul.

"Submit," Karofsky's soft voice was beckoning. "Submit, and I will keep you safe."

Kurt sobbed into his hands, "I can't…"

"Yes, you can." Karofsky reached for Kurt's arm and gently lifted the boy up. "I'll even help you."

The world was spinning out of control and Kurt instinctively grabbed onto Karofsky like a lifeline. Karofsky slowly helped him move into the cabin, holding the boy tight against his chest. As Kurt heard the door close behind him, the strangest thought popped in his head. _Cardamom_ , Kurt thought. _Karofsky smells like cardamom. I wonder if he puts it in his tea_. And with that, something snapped inside Kurt and he slipped into the abyss.

* * *

When Kurt came to, he quickly sat up and touched his body to make sure his clothes were still there. He was on a soft bed and Karofsky was reading a book at the table next to him.

Squinting to make out Karofsky's face under the dim lighting of the oil lamps, Kurt asked softly, "How long have I been out?"

"Not long," Karofsky never looked up from the book. "Just a few minutes."

"So what now?"

"Well," Karofsky closed his book. "We could begin by taking off your clothes."

Kurt closed his eyes. He was terrified by what Karofsky was proposing. But he was also confused, and even more frightened, at the fact that he did not find himself shivering in disgust. A tear slid down Kurt's cheek as he thought of his husband's warm smile and gentle embrace. _Forgive me, Blaine_ , Kurt whispered.

Karofsky rose to stand before Kurt, and slowly began to unbutton Kurt's silk shirt. The chilly sea breeze from the window hit the slit of bare skin that was revealed, making Kurt shiver. Karofsky slipped his hand beneath the shirt, and the pirate marveled at the smoothness beneath his fingertips as he brushed the silk off the boy's shoulders, revealing two puckered nipples waiting to be suckled.

"Never have I felt such tender skin," Karofsky gave a soft murmur of approval. The captain stepped back and began to undo the laces of his own black shirt, pulling the shirt over his head to reveal a muscled physique.

Sweeping Kurt's legs up, Karofsky laid Kurt down on the bed. Kurt kept his eyes closed and laid prone, trying best to not flicker at each lingering touch. Leaning over the boy, Karofsky resumed a long lost kiss, slow at first, but gradually building up intensity as he felt Kurt began to answer.

Finding that a pleasing thought, Karofsky's tongue moved deeper between Kurt's lips, and Kurt let out a soft sound as Karofsky's arms encircled the boy, pulling him close.

Perhaps Kurt surprised himself with his own desire, but the boy broke the kiss abruptly and turned his head to the side, choking back a shameful sob.

Wounded by Kurt's contradicting reactions, Karofsky taunted him with a low chuckle. Kurt opened his eyes to Karofsky laughing mockingly at him, and the boy's skin became flushed with anger.

"You are obviously turned on, yet you pretend to be a prude." Karofsky brushed against a nipple and Kurt moaned at the sensation. "See how sensitive you are? Your body is made to pleasure men, but you want to play as if you are some holier-than-thou virgin."

"What are you saying, that I am really a whore?" Kurt was gritting his teeth so hard he could hear the strain in his jaw.

"I'm just saying, maybe you secretly want to be out there with Azimio and the guys – "

"How dare you, you freaking monster!" Kurt screamed as he clawed at Kerofsky and tried to kick the man off him. "How dare you say that, you low-life scum. You are a criminal. You are a nothing. I would rather die than to want you, any of you."

Kurt could see Karofsky's fist crashing toward him, and the boy braced for the impact only to find it landed next to his head, cracking the board beneath the bed.

"That's right, I'm a monster." Karofsky was panting with anger as he began to remove his belt. "I'm a criminal. Is that how you want to play it? No problem."

Kurt grabbed Kurt's struggling wrists and secured them over his head with the belt to the bedpost. Reaching down to tear a strip of white silk off Kurt's shirt, the pirate gagged the boy. Kurt closed his eyes tightly and tried to block out the image of Karofsky between his legs.

When Karofsky began to caress his chest lightly, Kurt's entire body tensed in shock – he did not expect such tenderness from a man who had just bound and gagged him. Karofsky's fingers trailed lightly over the abdomen to the fastening of the breeches, and slowly reached inside to stroke Kurt's shuddering erection.

Kurt's muffled cries echoed throughout the room and his tormentor leaned down to kiss the tears from his face. "Are they tears of shame, or of pleasure? Perhaps both? You like it, don't you…" Karofsky whispered. "You want more."

Kurk shook his head from side to side to deny Karofsky the satisfaction he so desired.

Karofsky grabbed Kurt's shaft with his palm and squeezed hard, eliciting a groan from Kurt. Another hand began to draw circles against the puckered ring of Kurt's anus, tickling and teasing the entrance. Karofky could not help but marvel at the writhing beauty before him as he trapped Kurt between alternating sensations of pain and arousal. Then with a grin Karofsky began to rub Kurt's erection up and down, and Kurt's whole body shuddered with his rough motions, hips twisting in response. Finally, Kurt strained against the bonds that held him, feet planted firmly against the bed as he came, biting into the gag to stifle his cries of pleasure.

As Kurt's back relaxed against the bed, Karofsky undid the gag and Kurt tried to turn his head away to hide his shame, but Karofsky grabbed his face roughly and placed a hard kiss on the unyielding lips.

"Say yes," Karofsky whispered. The pirate's finger lapped up the trails of cum on Kurt's chest, and slowly spread it against the tight ring of Kurt's hole, messaging it into the tight folds as the finger slowly breached the entrance.

Kurt looked away.

"I will not accept no for an answer," Said the Pirate King.

Kurt tightened his lips, and turned toward the man.

Karofsky paused at the undaunted look in the boy's eyes.

"Give me Zachery," Kurt bit down on his lower lip to keep it from quivering.

"What?" Karofsky was genuinely taken aback by the request.

"He is my servant, the little blond boy, and he is out there being raped by your men right now. Save him, and I will not refuse you."

"Are you joking?"

Karofsky was astonished. He had not expected Kurt to have the balls to bargain with him in the middle of sexual intercourse, especially when the pirate held all the cards. He studied the boy's pouting lips, bruised and glistening. It appears the seduced have became the seducer.

Karofsky shook his head with an incredulous laugh, got up from the bed, and walked out of his quarters.

Moments later, the pirate captain walked in with a bundle in his hands, wrapped in an old shredded blanket.

"Oh my god, is he okay?" Kurt tried to get up from the bed, forgetting for a moment that he was still tied to the bed post.

"He'll live, I think," Karofsky replied as he laid the unresponsive body down on one corner of the room.

"Well, he better," Kurt replied.

Karofsky's laughter ringed in the room as the man returned to stand over the boy, straddling his body. Kurt gasped as he watched Karofsky caressed the bulge in front of his own breeches. The boy quickly turned his head, not wanting to look as Karofsky pulled out his very large and erect member, purple and dripping with precum.

After removing Kurt's breeches, the pirate pulled the boy's legs wide apart and began to stroke the tight ring of his anus with the tip of his sex, teasing, taunting. He rubbed the tip of his cock with his fingers, spreading the moisture that seeped from the tip all over its head. Then with his wet fingers, he parted Kurt's hole, preparing the boy for the intrusion.

Despite bracing himself for the coming thrust, Kurt was still unprepared when Karofsky came into him, so large and wide, as if he was being split open. Kurt bit into his lips to keep from screaming as the man began pounding into him in a steady rhythm.

"God, you feel so good, so hot and tight," Karofsky grunted as he tested the flexibility of Kurt's body, folding Kurt's legs up against his sides to allow deeper penetration.

Aching to prolong the intense sensation inside the velveteen passage, Karofsky rode the exquisite body beneath him nice and slow, their bodies gradually covered with a thin layer of sweat.

"How did someone like you become a spice trader?"

"I'm not a trader," Kurt whimpered, angry at the fact that Karofsky was able to utter coherent sentences while not losing a beat of his maddening rhythm. "I'm traveling to meet my husband."

"Yeah? And who is the lucky chap?" Karofsky was beginning to thrust in earnest and the bed rocked against each plunge of the hips.

"Blaine Anderson," Kurt let out a high pitched yelp as he felt his own painful erection against Karofsky's ridged abdomen.

"What did you say?" Karofsky suddenly stilled his movements, and the boy let out a breathy moan.

"Look at me," Karofsky slapped Kurt lightly across the face, forcing eye contact. "Did you say your husband's name is Blaine Anderson? As in Lord Blaine Anderson, Viceroy of the Land and Supreme Commander of the Royal Navy?"

"I don't know about that last part, but the first part, yes," Kurt replied, and remembered Zachery's warning.

The boy looked into Karofsky's unreadable eyes, suddenly frightened by the silence between them.

Eyes still undecipherable, Karofsky's hand moved to Kurt's semi-soft penis, took it in a firm grasp and began pumping it.

Kurt could feel himself building and tried to hold back, but feeling the pirate's hardening member enlarging and elongating inside him finally pushed him over, and Kurt came hard, semen spurting into the air. Karofsky resumed his thrusting at Kurt's orgasm, panting with exertion, until finally with one last thrust, the pirate coated Kurt's insides with his fluid.

Karofsky did not bother to untie the boy. He lay on top of Kurt, crushing the boy with the heavy weight.

"What is your name?" the pirate asked of the husband of Lord Anderson, his sworn enemy.

"Kurt, Kurt Hummel."

"Dave, Dave Karofsky."


	5. Hearts Like Shooting Stars (Part One)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While traveling to be happily ever after with Blaine, Kurt was kidnapped by the Pirate Karofsky. Captain Blaine will not rest until his beloved is back in his arms. Klaine & Finchel, w/ Kurtofsky & Puckurt.
> 
> Glee Kink-Meme Fill

**Chapter 5: Hearts Like Shooting Stars (Part One)**

With an aura of oppressive rage emanating from him, none of the commanding officers, not even those who are Blaine's closest of friends, dared to approach the Viceroy as he stood in silence at the helm of the Warbler. The royal fleet has been circling the Indian Sea for days with no sign of the Loudoun, nor Kurt. Starting from the point where the merchant ship was last spotted, the search party spread out like a ripple to cover any ocean space the Loudoun could possibly have been. But the sea is vast and all consuming, so despite the calm waters, they have not seen a single trace of the missing ship.

Up in the Crow's Nest, at the highest point of the mainmast, Finn and Rachel stood at opposite ends of the barrel to scour the far ends of the sea.

Frustrated, Finn collapsed his wooden telescope and punched the large pole, his brows furrowed like he's just bit into a bitter fruit.

"Finn! No!" Rachel quickly reached for Finn's hand to examine the fingers for damage. "We'll find your brother, I promise. Let's just keep looking."

"We've practically lived up here, and we haven't seen a thing." Finn shook his head in disbelieve, "What if they got swallowed by some storm? Or if the ship capsized in a gyre? How would I ever be able to face Burt again?"

"I don't think that's what happened," Rachel's voice was solemn as she did her best to put her arms around Finn's broad shoulders. "If it was a storm or some undercurrent, we would have seen signs of wreckage by now, like pieces of splintered boards or crushed cargo."

"So what do you think happened?" Finn asked, rubbing his forehead in frustration.

Rachel sighed, "I don't want to jump to conclusions, Finn. The thing we need to do right now is follow our orders and skim every inch of the sea for any clue we can find."

"Come on, big boy," Rachel tugged Finn up on his feet. "Let's keep .. Wait – "

Rachel squinted at the horizon.

"What is it? Do you see something?" Finn's fingers were trembling as he struggled to pull out his telescope.

Rachel was already a step ahead of him.

"Floater!" Rachel yelled to their friends at the deck below. "South, southwest!"

* * *

Blaine's eyes were blood-red as he watched the deck hands fish the two bodies out of the water. To call the broken pieces of flesh – bodies – was a stretch, for the limbs that lay on the deck were so badly degraded that they barely resembled anything human.

While Blaine had remained ominously silent, Finn was a complete wreck, particularly when he noticed 'EIC', the logo of the East India Company, sewn on the shredded sleeve of one of the remains.

"No, no, please let it not be him," Finn knelt next to the broken bodies to examine their faces, one after another. Their features were practically indistinguishable, badly chewed by sea creatures and bloated from exposure, but the two men looked nothing like the porcelain boy. Giving a sigh of relief, Finn quickly ran against the starboard side of the ship and threw up everything he ate this morning.

Prompted by a nod from Blaine, Jeff and Nick began to examine the bodies closely, turning over arms and torsos to further their investigation.

"How long?" Blaine's voice was hoarse and pained.

"It's hard to say," Nick studied the bodies. "But given the degree of swelling and decay, I would say at least three, maybe four days."

"Nick, check this out," Jeff called from the arm he was examining, and Nick moved to his side.

"Looks like a clean cut," Jeff said carefully, knowing he was confirming their worst fears.

"It's a defensive wound," After taking his time looking at the cut, Nick raised his arm over his head to mimic how a man shielding his face from a slash of a sword would have received the cut. "It was made from left to right, indicating the killer was left-handed. The cut was likely from a long, curved blade. A saber, perhaps, inflicted before death. See, there are no signs of healing." Nick pressed on the unsealed cut and the slit broke open, sea water and puss oozing out.

"And these charred marks," Jeff pointed to patches of blackened skin. "They are definitely not made by the sea."

"God damn pirates," Trent cursed under his breath.

"Pirates?" Finn's face, pale after puking his guts out, turned ghostly white. "My god, don't they kill everyone onboard?"

The dooming silence from the Warblers sounded like thunder in Finn's ears.

"No, Kurt can't be dead!" Finn was shaking at the thought of his sweet little brother slaughtered mercilessly by the criminals. Rachel tried to reach out to Finn, but the latter jerked away, too furious for any physical contact.

"They don't always kill everyone; sometimes they keep a few as slaves for – Ouch!" Rachel kicked Trent in the shins before he could finish his sentence.

"You be quiet," Rachel hissed, sneaking a concerned glance at Blaine, who was visibly stung by Trent's remark.

Meanwhile, Wes joined Nick and Jeff's side of the bodies. "A saber, wielded by a left-hand," Wes looked at Nick, "Could it be him?"

Nick nodded, "Possibly. It fits his modus operandi. Most pirates prefer buccaneer swords. Few use military sabers, even fewer wield it with their left hand."

"I can't believe he kept his saber," Jeff said in disgust. "The man is a disgrace to the service, and he's practically flaunting it in our faces."

"Who are you guys talking about?" Finn was perplexed by their conversation.

"These men likely met their demise at the hands of Dave Karofsky," Wes answered.

"The Pirate King Karofsky?" Finn asked in shock. Pirate activities in the South Sea have dwindled since the build-up of military presence. The recent high sea robberies have all taken place much further out in the unclaimed ocean space.

"Bah, he's no king," Rachel brushed Trent aside and crossed her arms indignantly. "So what if he is relatively successful as a pirate compared to the other rag-tag motley crews. He was a graduate of the academy, for god's sake. Hell, I bet I'd make an excellent pirate queen should I decide to join the dark side."

"Are you saying that Karofsky was in the Royal Naval Academy?" Finn asked.

"Dave Karofsky was an officer on the Warbler, actually," Thad explained. "He and Blaine were both vying for the captain position, and Dave completely lost it after Blaine got the appointment. He was court-marshaled for selling arms to rebels, but rather than taking his punishment, he went AWOL. We all thought he had sneaked back home, until his name started popping up in all the wrong circles."

"We had him, too," Trent said cursedly. "If only…"

"Trent," Thad's stern voice silenced the officer.

"That's enough," Blaine raised his palm to cease the conversation, and the officers immediately stood upright with full attention to their leader.

"I believe Kurt is still alive. Until I see otherwise with my own eyes, we will operate under that assertion," Blaine looked at his friends, eyes pained but lit with a fiery resolve. "Therefore, lady and gents, this is now a rescue mission. While it may be that Dave Karofsky is the culprit behind this, let's cover all the angles."

Blaine paused, and shook his head with a self-deprecating chuckle, "Trent is right, I guess my attempt to help Dave resulted in epic disaster."

"No, you could not have known this would happen. You were trying to reach out to him, that's why you let him escape," Rachel held her head high in defense of Blaine's past decision. "You showed him mercy, but he turned around and stomped all over it."

"That's right, we caught him once," Thad added. "We can get him again."

The Warblers stood in unison and looked upon the commanding officer of the fleet.

"What are your orders, sir?" Thad spoke for the group.

Blaine looked back at his friends, all standing before him, ready to dive into battle and risk their lives at his word. Their trust and loyalty, all which Blaine was thankful for, were the only things keeping him sane at the moment. While appearing collected, deep down, Blaine was overwhelmed by the guilt of asking Kurt to join him in Bombay, as well as the fear that he might have lost Kurt forever. Thinking of that beautiful face and the lyrical voice that haunts his dreams, Blaine made a mental promise to Kurt that no matter what happens, he would find Kurt and spend the rest of his life caring and loving him.

"Thad and Trent," Blaine heard himself giving out his orders. "Activate the entire fleet. All non assigned vessels are to sweep the ocean for signs of the Titan or any pirate vessels."

"Jeff and Nick, I want you to put an all point bulletin out to every seaport from Arabia to Indochina. I want any and all reports on pirate activities. Offer a hundred gold coins as reward for information leading to Kurt's rescue."

"Rachel," Blaine looked at his former first mate, now the Captain of the Warbler. "I want you to bring a message from me to the leader of the Yenban. They are the oldest smuggling cartel in the Asian seas and they know these waters like their own backyard. Their clan leader owes me a blood debt. It's time he makes good on it."

"Yes, Sir," the officers responded in unison.

* * *

The first ray of the cold morning sun woke Zachery from his slumber, and the boy shifted uncomfortably against the hard, damp floor outside the captain's cabin, the pains from that horrific night still eating away at his bones. Since their capture, Kurt has remained in seclusion inside the captain's quarters. Just as well, Zachery thought, given the ravenous looks Kurt would get from the ship's mates. But Zachery hadn't been so lucky. He also tried to stay in the cabin and away from the rest of the pirates as much as possible, but often he would be ordered to run errands, putting him at the mercy of faceless beasts that would tackle him in a dark corner. So at nights, when the pirate captain would boot him out of the room, Zachery clung to the door like it was a raft in tumultuous waters.

Zachery hated the men that murdered the crew of the Loudoun. He hated the Pirate King Karofsky for keeping Kurt, who is like an angel lost from Heaven, locked up in a cage. But what he hated, most of all, was how dependent they have become on Karofsky's protection. He knew that the rest of the mates would happily tear them apart from limb to limb and gnaw at their flesh. But they lived due to Karofsky's command.

Furthermore, Zachery knew that this protection came at a heavy price, one that felt like a million sharp stones wringing in his gut.

Zachery slouched against the door and covered his ears with his hands.

Kurt's moans were like that of a siren's song.

Karofsky was flush against Kurt's back, his cock pistoning in and out of the countertenor through rapid but shallow hip thrusts. The two bodies were lying on their sides amidst the crinkled sheets; Karofsky's right arm was under Kurt to press the boy against his chest, while his other hand kneaded at Kurt's balls, giving it a painful squeeze every so often to keep the boy from drawing away from him.

The smell of sex permeated the air, and the slapping sound made from each snap of the pirate's hips could make even the most jaded blush.

"You feel amazing," Karofsky panted as he sped up the staccato of his hips, drawing a whimper from Kurt. "I wish I can just keep my dick inside your hot little hole all day, fucking you until you scream."

"I will never scream for you," Kurt gritted his teeth between labored breaths. The boy has already orgasmed from the onslaught on his prostate, and he cursed himself for knowing that it would still be a while before Dave peaks.

"Oh yeah?" Karofsky raised a sweat covered brow. "I guess I'll just have to try harder, then."

With his left hand, Karofsky grabbed Kurt's top leg and lifted it in the air, hooking it over the crook of his elbow.

"What are you doing?" Kurt was aghast at the obscene position, feeling his calf flapping in the air with each of Dave's shallow thrusts. "Let me go you Neanderthal! Have you no sense of propriety?"

But the position allowed more contact. The pirate drove his cock deeper inside Kurt and the boy instinctively threw his head back against Dave's clavicle in pain and in pleasure.

"I bet Blaine has never fucked you like a whore," Karofsky grunted next to Kurt's ears, and the boy choked out a sob. "Does he even know how flexible you are? That when fucked just right, you are practically boneless?" Karofsky lifted Kurt's leg higher into the air, and the boy covered his face with his hands as he felt his hips stretched wider apart.

"That's right," Dave's thrusts practically lifted the boy up off the bed. "I love it when you spread your legs for me."

When Dave finally shot his cum inside Kurt, the boy had such difficulty gasping for air he thought he was going to pass out.

"Kurt, are you okay? Kurt?" The pirate's face showed a rare flash of concern as he soothed Kurt's chest, hoping to ease the boy's breathing.

Kurt could barely lift a finger from the exhaustion.

"My husband will kill you," Kurt meowed, laying his head back and relaxing it where the pirate's neck meets his shoulders. Cruel words juxtaposed against docile intimacy.

Karofsky closed his eyes, trying desperately to maintain his façade of indifference. He knew that the moans from those luscious lips and each wanton look in those sea-green eyes were mere illusions of affection, nothing more. From the very first time he laid his hands on the boy, he knew this was all there ever will be between them. But for a fleeting second, Karofsky wished they were real.

In all his life, he has never hated Blaine Anderson more than this very moment.

"Let him try," Karofsky replied as he hugged the boy close.

* * *

After the pirate captain left his quarters, Kurt slowly climbed off the bed to dress himself, and his mind couldn't help but wander back to Karofsky's words.

"Promise me you'll eat something today. You are practically skins and bones," Dave said as he pulled up his breeches.

Kurt remained silent.

Dave gave the boy in his bed a long look before exiting the room, "I'll have Zachery fetch you some bath water."

Kurt shook the memory from his head, forcing himself to dismiss the tenderness in Dave's voice. This is the man who was keeping him against his will, away from the love of his life. He has lost count of how many days it has been since that frightful night when the Loudoun went down in a sea of flames. But what terrified Kurt, even more than when Dave first took him, was that they seem to have settled into a routine: Endless echoes of waiting days and lascivious nights that corrode all hope with each reverberation.

Kurt brought his knees up to his chin and slowly rocked himself back and forth. "Blaine," Kurt whispered, wiping away the tear that has fallen on his cheek. "What should I do?"

Just as Kurt was lost in his own thoughts, a soft tapping sound got his attention. Kurt looked toward the door, but no, that's not where the sound was coming from.

The tapping got a little louder, and Kurt realized that the sound was actually coming from outside the window – outside the ship.

Curious, he slowly opened the window covering and was startled to see a willowy shadow agilely slithered into the room.

"Shhh," the man that appeared out of thin air put his fingers to his lips before Kurt screamed, and the boy nodded cautiously, studying the man before him. He was a tall Asian man in a form fitting black ensemble, with a dagger and coils of rope strapped to his side.

"Are you Kurt Hummel?" The man whispered.

"Who are you?" Kurt asked softly.

"Don't be afraid," The man replied. "I am Mike Chang of the Yenban. Are you the husband of Blaine Anderson?"

"Blaine!" Kurt exclaimed, but quickly covered his mouth to stifle his cry. "Are you here to rescue me?"

Mike nodded, taking the rope into his hand. "I am going to tie this up around your waist, and then lower you to the water from the window, okay? We have to move fast."

"But it's not just me," Kurt glanced toward the door, thinking of Zachery. "Can we take one more person with us?"

"No, I'm sorry," Mike shook his head as he began to loop the rope around Kurt's waist. "Our boat is very small, and we won't be able to escape if we take another body."

After Mike knotted one end of the rope securely around Kurt, he belted the loose end around his waist to leverage it like a pulley. "Now, I want you to carefully climb out of the window, and then let go. Don't worry, I won't let you fall."

"Okay," Kurt said timidly. The captain's chamber was located on the main deck, a good two stories above sea level. Forcing himself to take a deep breath, Kurt grabbed the window frame and slowly stretched a leg out the window.

All of a sudden, rapid footsteps and angry shouts could be heard from outside the room, and Kurt froze.

"Hurry!" Mike shouted, "Just jump!"

But it was too late. The door swung open with a loud crack, wooden splinters exploding into the room, and Karofsky burst through the entrance with two henchmen close behind him.

Mike unsheathed his dagger and lunged toward the pirates, hoping to ward them off. But the cramped space in the room made combat difficult, and Mike was promptly tackled to the floor by one of the shipmates. Meanwhile, Karofsky grabbed hold of Kurt's wrist, and with one swift turn of his hand, twisted Kurt's arm behind his back into an armlock, sending an immobilizing pain from the wrist to the shoulder joints.

"Take him on deck," Karofsky commanded as he amped up the pressure on Kurt's shoulder, forcing a scream of agony from the boy. "I want to interrogate him before I cut his throat."

"Aye, captain," The two pirates severed the rope on Mike's waist and dragged him out of the room, and Karofsky followed, propelling Kurt forward through the armlock.

Right outside the captain's quarters, Kurt was shocked to find a tear-stained Zachery huddled on the floor, a bucket of spilled water before him. The little boy stared at his master, eyes wide with pain, fear, and also something else – Guilt.

"No," Kurt whispered through the sting of betrayal. "Zachery?"

"I'm so sorry, so sorry," Zachery sobbed as he watched Kurt march before him. "I didn't want you to leave me…"

By the time the party got to middeck, half of Kurt's body has gone numb from the pain in his twisted arm. The pirates held Mike on his knees, execution style, and Karofsky threw the boy on the floor at his feet.

A swift draw of the saber, Karofsky thrust the sword into Mike's shoulder and began twisting the blade.

"Who are you? Speak!"

Mike gritted his teeth in pain, and large drops of sweat began to trickle down his contorted face.

"We live by the sea and we die by the sea," Mike began chanting as if he was possessed. "We are the first and the last."

"Fuck," Puck had rushed up on deck just in time to hear Mike's words. "What the hell is the Yenban doing on our ship?"

"Have you guys gone mad?" Azimio landed a swift kick in Mike's abdomen to silence him. "What the fuck are you talking about?"

"That's the motto of the Yenban," Karofsky explained with a look of concern on his face. "It is a secret brotherhood of smugglers and seafarers in the eastern seas, the most ancient of its kind."

Puck fisted Mike's hair and forced the man to look up at him, "What the hell are you doing here on our ship?"

"If you know who we are, then you know what we are capable of," Mike spat at the man. "Release me and Kurt Hummel, or the full force of the Yenban will bear down upon you like the tsunami that annihilates all in its path."

"What," Puck was surprised to hear Kurt's name. "The captain's new plaything?"

Not allowing Mike to explain, Karofsky pushed Puck aside and raised his arm to swing his saber down with enough force to decapitate the prisoner. But just before the saber made contact with the flesh, a dagger pierced through the air and collided with the sword, sending Karofsky stumbling back. Two more flying daggers followed, impaling the pirates that held Mike.

"Tina!" Mike screamed as a woman in black somersaulted in before him, separating him and the pirates. Between her fingers were four leaf-shaped daggers, threatening to be released.

Before the pirates could pull out their pistols, Tina threw three black balls on the floor, creating a loud blinding flash that filled the entire deck with a thick black smoke.

"Kurt!" Karofsky saw a shadow move toward the boy beneath his feet, and yanked the countertenor against him.

"The Yenban does not forget," Tina's cold voice could be heard drifting away as the smoke blistered the eyes of the pirates.

When the black fog dissipated, Mike and Tina had disappeared from the ship, leaving behind two very dead bodies with a thin blade through each of their hearts.

"I believe you owe us an explanation, Captain," Puck growled at his leader, eyes burning at the struggling beauty pinned to Karofsky's side by a possessive embrace. "What is this boy?"

Karofsky glared back at his rebellious first mate, unfazed by the realization that the rest of the ship's crew had moved behind Puck, united in their fear and anger.

"My husband is Blaine Anderson, Viceroy of Her Majesty's territories and Supreme Commander of the Royal Fleet," Kurt ignored the crushing pain on his waist and revealed his identity. Knowing that Blaine is working to rescue him has ignited Kurt's hope and courage, and he was no longer afraid of his captors. "For your own sake, let me go."

The shocked look in the crew's eyes confirmed what Kurt had come to realize. Karofsky was hiding his identity from his own shipmates not to protect the boy, but because he knew the risks of taking someone like Kurt prisoner.

"What?" Puck couldn't believe his ears.

"Did you know this?" Puck was furious at his captain, and Karofsky's tacit admission only fueled his rage. "You were keeping the husband of the Viceroy a prisoner on this ship and you didn't even bother to give us a heads up?"

"Does this mean we are now at war with the Royal Navy?" Azimio asked nervously, and the rest of the pirates muttered amongst themselves.

"We are pirates," Puck hissed, "Not soldiers. We can take on a ship, or maybe even two, but an entire military fleet? Not to mention the Yenban and what else Anderson is sending our way. You have just signed all of our death warrants!"

"We have allies," Karofsky retorted. "We can join together with other pirate vessels."

"And ask them to do what," Puck asked. "Risk their lives so you can keep your little fuck toy?"

With chilling speed Karofsky moved before Puck and slammed the man's head down on the deck, followed by a bone crunching punch to the jaw. "He is no fuck toy," Karofsky's voice sent a shiver down Kurt's spine.

Karofsky turned to the rest of his crew and roared, "Anyone else dare to try me?" The pirate captain's hand threatening to crush the scull of his insubordinate first mate.

Intimidated by the overpowering display of dominance, Karofsky's crew bowed their heads in silence.

"Chart a course to Eden," Karofsky commanded. "We will anchor there until things blow over. The rum flows free at that town, and we will be amongst friends."

"Aye aye, captain," the crew of the Titan replied.

* * *

"My, my, you are certainly a sight for sore eyes," an alluring woman in a devil-red bustier smirked seductively at Karofsky when the pirate captain and his crew entered the biggest brothel in Eden. A lawless city hidden on a remote island east of the Arabian Sea, Eden was like Mecca to the many pirates that roam the waves. Alcohol, gambling, prostitution – if it is a vice, it was celebrated at Eden.

"And I see you've brought a little friend with you," The temptress fixed her gaze on the porcelain boy whose dainty waist was tightly trapped in Karofsky's arms. She swiped her finger along Kurt's jaw line before the boy could turn away and sucked on the fingertip, "Sweet."

"That's enough, Santana," Karofsky seemed unaffected by the flirtation. "See to it that my men have the best of what you have to offer."

"Certainly, my girls will make sure there is never an empty cup in the house."

With an elegant hand signal, Santana gestured her ladies to swarm the giddy mates of the Titan, leading the men into a smoke filled saloon.

"And the pirate king?" Santana pressed her bosom against the man, ever so slightly lifting her skirt to show off a shapely leg adorned with garter strap and silk stockings. "Should I be of service to you tonight?"

"No, just my usual room is fine," Karofsky spoke stoically as he ushered Kurt inside, leaving Santana behind.

Not long after, a tall blond girl in an emerald green belly dancer dress approached Santana.

"Was that Dave Karofsky? Does he know that all the sharks and dolphins are looking for him?"

Seeing that they were alone, Santana shed her sultry demeanor and wrapped an arm around her lover's slender shoulders. "I think Dave has no idea," Santana replied with her usual haughty smile.

"Brittany, I need you to put on your best show tonight," Santana instructed. "And tell Artie to bring out our strongest liquors. I need you guys to keep these men distracted and occupied while I make a quick trip."

"Sure," Brittany nodded. "But where are you going?"

A vulturine grin rose on one corner of Santana's blood-red lips.

"Don't worry, love, I'll be back soon. I just need to dispatch a quick message to a very interested party."


	6. Hearts like Shooting Stars (Part Two)

**Chapter Six: Hearts like Shooting Stars (Part Two)**

Things have been weird between Dave and Kurt since that day the Yenban attempted a rescue on the high seas. Knowing that Blaine was hot on their heels, Kurt had silently vowed to never let Dave touch him again, at least not without a fight. But much to Kurt's surprise, Dave began acting differently as well. When they were alone, if Kurt didn't know better, he would almost say Dave was trying to behave more like a gentleman. Well, 'try' being the operative word. While he still insisted on sharing a bed with Kurt, Dave has kept his distance, not laying a finger on the boy. Dave even tried to initiate conversations, albeit awkwardly, asking about Kurt's family, his favorite food, etc. And when Kurt ignored him, or even insulted him, rather than responding with rage and violence, Dave simply sulked.

Since their arrival in Eden, Dave made sure Kurt stayed in his sight at all times. Which was just as well for Kurt, since there seemed to always be some inebriated man catcalling him, or a drunken brawl nearby. The countertenor felt more like a fish out of water in Eden than he did aboard the Titan. But when he caught himself missing his quiet room on the pirate ship, Kurt was so alarmed by his own absurd thought that he gave himself a light pinch on the thigh. That was one of the scary consequences of time, Kurt realized. You get comfortable.

_But I will never be comfortable_ , Kurt made himself a promise, _not when he is keeping me away from Blaine._

"How come you never sit with them?" An innocent voice brought Kurt back from his thoughts. Kurt was alone in a corner of the saloon, sipping his tea, while not far off Dave and the crew of the Titan betted on rounds after rounds of arm wrestling to see who was the strongest of them all, with Santana's ladies cheering them on.

Kurt looked up and recognized the blond with soft, cat-like eyes. He had watched and admired the girl's dance moves during her nightly performances.

"Brittany, right?" Kurt got up to hold the chair for the lady as she sat down beside him.

"Right," Brittany cocked her head. "Santana said I shouldn't talk to you, but you look so sad, like Lord Tubbington when all the cheeses are gone."

"Lord Tubbington?"

"Yeah, my cat," Brittany said. "He really likes cheese. He also said that I should come and keep you company, because you are a lost dolphin."

"Ugh, okay. Thanks, I think," Kurt chuckled. "But I think Santana is right, you should probably stay away from me. You see that tall pirate captain over there? I'm his prisoner. And he might get angry if he sees you talking to me."

"Who, Dave?" Brittany stared at Karofsky who was showing off his bulging biceps as he arm wrestled with Puck. "Just tell him not to be mad."

"I don't think it's that easy."

"Yeah, it is," Brittany said in a monotone voice. "Santana said you have him wrapped around your baby finger."

Kurt choked on his tea. "What? I think Santana must be mistaken!"

"No way," Brittany looked hurt. "Santana is super smart. She is always right. She said that Dave looks big and scary on the outside, but on the inside he is just a softie who is afraid."

"What is he afraid of?" Kurt frowned as he pressed the girl for an explanation.

"Everything," Brittany looked straight ahead like she was in a daze. "He's afraid of failure, he's afraid of being himself, and he's afraid of being alone."

Before Kurt could ask more, a loud raucous from the wrestling match engulfed the room. A king has been crowned. Dave made wild gorilla grunts as he pounded his puffed up chest, claiming his status, while Azimio, the loser, smacked the wine goblets from the table in frustration.

As Dave paraded around the room, he noticed Brittany sitting next to Kurt. Looking a little uncomfortable, Dave approached the duo.

"I think it's time to call it a night," Dave's eyes shifted between Kurt and Brittany. "Let's go, Kurt."

Kurt slowly got up and followed Dave out of the room.

"Good bye little dolphin," Brittany said cheerfully behind him.

* * *

Per his arrangement with Santana, Dave and Kurt stayed in the penthouse suite on the top level of the brothel. The room was out of the way from everyone and afforded them some peace and quiet.

Having spent countless nights together, Kurt has grown familiar with Dave's routines. Dave has a habit of reading a little before going to bed, so Kurt would always climb under the covers first while the pirate captain sat by the dim oil lamp at the desk.

Usually Kurt would turn away and pretend to be fast asleep by the time Dave joined his side. He would feel the heat radiating from the body behind him, and he knew, just knew, that Dave would spend a long time looking at him before drifting off to sleep. It was as if Dave's thoughts of longing and desire could reach out and encircle Kurt's mind. But Dave would not touched him, not since that morning on the Titan. And Kurt never turned around.

But tonight, after that conversation with Brittany, Kurt wanted to try something different.

"Dave?" Kurt asked the man behind him after Dave climbed into bed.

Kurt knew he has Dave's attention. He could hear that Dave stopped breathing.

Keeping himself facing the wall, Kurt asked, "Why did you become a pirate?"

"I didn't have any choice," Dave sighed. "I got kicked out of the Navy. I was poor. It was my only option."

"But you must have had a family, back home?"

"Yeah, so what if I did?" Dave shifted on his back and gave a humorless laugh. "When I left home, I told my pop that I would make something of myself one day, and go back after I hit it big. Funny how things turned out."

"Families love you unconditionally," Kurt thought about Burt. "My papa, even though I haven't exactly been the most obedient son, loves me no matter what. I am sure your father accepts you regardless of what you have done in the past."

"I don't know…" Dave's voice trailed off. Dave closed his eyes and took in Kurt's scent. He could still feel his heart fluster at Kurt's comforting words.

Suddenly, Dave reached for Kurt and turned the boy to face him, astonishing even himself at the outpour of emotion. "Kurt, come away with me. Just the two of us. You are right, I never wanted this life, to be constantly running and hiding. Together, we can go off to a place where no one's heard of us, and start over. Will you come with me?"

The sincerity and vulnerability that shined in Dave's eyes first took Kurt by surprise, then filled the boy with pity. He had never realized how conflicted Dave was. Kurt had just thought of the man as a brute, a heartless criminal. But the man who has tormented him for days was now seeking his blessing, his affection. Had they met under different circumstances, things might have turned out differently. In time, perhaps Kurt may even begin to forgive Dave for all that he has done. But how could he possibly think Kurt would just abandon his husband, the man to whom he has pledged his heart and soul?

Knowing his reply would be hard for Dave to hear, Kurt chose his words very carefully.

"Dave, if you want to be my friend, then please, let me go home." Kurt pleaded. "I miss my family so much."

Dave fell silent.

"If you let me go, then you don't have to worry about running and hiding all the time," Kurt tried harder. "Don't you see, if you let me go, I can have Blaine give you a full pardon. Then you are free to start over!"

"Blaine Anderson?" Dave sat up on his bed, visibly upset. "So the truth finally comes out. Here I thought you cared about me, but you were just trying to sweet talk your way into an escape."

Dave spitted each word out like a curse: "I would rather hang myself than be pardoned by Blaine Anderson. He has everything. He didn't even have to try and people just hand him whatever he wanted. And then he goes around pretending to be all sympathetic and nice. But it was just for him to show that he is better, that we are all equally unworthy of him. Well, I am not just everyone. Blaine Anderson deserves to die a thousand deaths!"

"Why would you say such thing?" Kurt was confused by Dave's sudden agitation. "Blaine is the gentlest, kindest person I know. Please, Dave, let us help you."

"So now you want to pretend you are better than me, too?" Dave's eyes were full of hurt and spite. "Lord Blaine and Lady Kurt, giving out charity to the commoners," Dave said in a mocking voice. "Well, fuck you!"

"No," Kurt tried to salvage the situation, "You misunderstood, it's not like that at all…"

"I think you forget your place," Dave's voice turned stone cold. "You are my prisoner, and my whore. So behave like one, or else I'll have you whipped."

Kurt looked tearfully at Dave. His attempt to reach out had ended in failure, and he felt more unsure about Dave than ever before.

But before Kurt could say anything, Dave abruptly shot up from the bed, and took a few sniffs of the air.

"Do you smell that?"

Kurt shook his head, not sure what Dave meant.

"Something is burning," Dave furrowed his brows as he got up and threw his shirt over his head.

Dave went to open the door, but yelped as he drew his hand back from the burning doorknob. Pulling his sleeve over his throbbing palm to act as a quick insulator, Dave quickly pulled open the door, and was engulfed by an expanding cloud of black smoke rushing into the room.

As the pirate captain tried to fan the choking smoke from his face, he could see that the hallway outside their door was littered with fire, and the red-hot flames were threatening to trap them inside.

"Dave!" Kurt could not stop coughing since the smoke filled the room, and for a second, he was terrified that Dave might just run out alone and leave him there to burn.

"Come on!" Dave screamed, gesturing for Kurt to run to him. Dave grabbed the nearby water jug and poured some water over himself, then handed it to the boy to follow suit as he grabbed his pistol belt and saber. "We need to get out now. Stay low so you don't inhale the smoke and follow me."

* * *

"What the hell is that noise?" Artie muttered groggily in his sleep. The man tried to pull himself up on his elbows, but realized that he was weighted down by something very heavy on his chest. "Lord Tubbington, get off of me!"

Artie was still trying to push the big cat off when his chamber door swung open and Santana and Brittany barged in.

"Artie, grab our valuables. I want you and Brittany to use the underground tunnel in the wine cellar to get as far from here as possible."

"What's going on?" Artie could hear shouts coming from the ground floor above his room.

"Some motherfucker is trying to burn my house down and I am going to carve him a new one," Santana was gripping a short, curved scimitar sword in each of her hands, looking like she was about to swallow babies alive.

"Oh my god, the house is on fire?" Artie frantically tried to reach for his wheelchair. "We need to get everyone up to fight the fire!"

"Too late, whoever started it used an accelerant agent," Santana turned toward Brittany. "Brit, can you just carry him? We need to move now."

"Sure, no problem," Brittany shrugged and easily swept Artie and Lord Tubbington up in her arms.

"Did the military guys do this?" Artie asked as he hugged Brittany's shoulders. "I thought the plan was to spike the drinks tomorrow and knock Karofsky and his guys out."

"No, I doubt it was them," Santana said as she led them out of the room. "They are still waiting for the rest of their team to arrive. Which means, it must have been one of the ship mates..."

"You guys go now," Santana's eyes squinted in a blinding fury. "I have a score to settle."

* * *

"I think something might be wrong," Rachel peeled back the drapes just a little to peek across the street at Santana's brothel.

Rachel, Finn, and Blaine were hiding in a small room across the street from where the crew of the Titan was staying. They had to sneak onto the island earlier in the day because any sighting of the Warbler would have sent the entire town packing. As soon as they arrived, they secretly met with Santana to set up a plan. Tomorrow, Artie was going to spike the alcohol with a drug to put all of the crew to sleep, allowing them to rescue Kurt. The island was crawling with outlaws and criminals, and Kurt was still Karofsky's hostage, so Blaine wanted the safest plan possible. Not to mention they were still waiting for the arrival of the rest of their group – Jeff and Nick should arrive any moment now, and Thad and Trent will be here first thing in the morning.

"What do you see?" Blaine and Finn both jumped to their feet, rushing to the window. While Rachel was able to convince Blaine not to storm the brothel the minute they set foot in the town, she nearly had to tie Finn down so the boy didn't foolhardily run into a house full of pirates and get himself killed.

"Why is there smoke coming out of the top windows?" Finn's face was practically pressed against the dirty glass, trying to make out what was going on across the street in the moonless night.

"Wait! Blaine!" Rachel heard the door slam behind her, and realized that Blaine had dashed out of the room with his sword.

"No, no you don't!" Rachel hung on to Finn for dear life when the tall boy reached for his sword as well. "If we go in now, we go in blind. We don't know what is happening in there!"

"Rachel," Finn took Rachel's hands and, for a moment, Rachel was lost in the determination and strength gleaming in Finn's eyes. "I know we might be running into an ambush in there, but Kurt's life could be in danger, and sometimes, you have to take a chance so you don't regret it."

Rachel's hands extended out into nothingness as Finn charged after Blaine. Letting out a loud sob, Rachel watched the two men run across the street under the cloak of darkness. As a markswoman, Rachel's expertise was at precision shooting, meaning she preferred to plan her shots ahead of time and stay away from the chaos so she can take out her targets from afar. But she knew that if she didn't stay by Finn's side tonight, she might regret it for the rest of her life.

Rachel took another look at the brothel, seeing that its rooftop was now covered with bright flames. She grabbed her long rifle and, after a deep breath, ran out of the room as well.

* * *

Kurt screamed when a large beam doused in flames crashed down beside him, and tripped when the hallway outside the penthouse buckled at the impact. He could feel the heat gripping onto his skin, instantly drying his damp shirt.

"Keep moving!" Dave yanked Kurt up by the arm and pushed him forward, trying to lead them down the hall to the staircase.

Kurt could barely hear Dave over the loud crackling and popping sound of the burning roof. The flames were like bright orange water rippling all around them, dripping off the ceiling and meandering down beams and walls, trapping them in a smoky inferno.

"No, Dave!" Kurt came to a screeching halt as he saw Dave heading straight into the blaze. "What are you doing?"

"The stairway is right there!" Dave shouted, covering his face with his sleeve to avoid inhaling the smoke. "That's the only way out, we have to run through it!"

Dave wrapped his arm around Kurt's shoulders and ran with the boy as fast as he could, leaping over the sprouting flames and down the winding staircase. The flames had barely reached the floor below, and Kurt could hear loud footsteps and shouting as scantily clothed ladies and the crew of the Titan scrambled to find the nearest exit in the labyrinth of rooms and hallways.

The narrow corridors were not designed for the mass exodus, and as people were pushed or fell over, they were either trampled or became an obstacle for those behind them, creating piles of struggling bodies that quickly got pinned down by the fallen flames. Screams of agony and frustration echoed between the walls as the thunderous roar of the fire above got louder and louder.

Just as they got to the balcony leading to the ground floor, Kurt screamed and landed on his face as he felt a hand grabbing his ankle. The boy looked behind him and saw the blood-covered face of a pirate pinned to the floor by a fallen floorboard, his arms reaching out, clawing at everything in desperation. Kurt tried to kick the hand loose, but it was gripped too tight.

Suddenly, Karofsky's saber came crashing down, severing the arm from the hand, freeing the boy. Kurt nearly fainted at the sight of blood exploding from the severed limb, forming a large pool of blood at the gap.

Elsewhere, the struggle to survive has long since destroyed the pirates' senses of decorum, and many began to draw their swords, slashing their way toward the staircase down to the saloon.

As Kurt crawled onto his knees, through the railings of the balcony he could see a form that was fighting against the tide of exiting bodies, one person who was trying to push his way up the stairs as everyone else was trying to move in the opposit direction.

"Blaine!" Kurt screamed as loud as he could, his body was shaking so hard at the sight of his beloved that he thought he was going to collapse back onto the floor.

Blaine didn't seem to have heard him, but the young lord kept moving up the stairs, pushing against the current of bodies, his eyes searching in all directions.

Then at the top of the staircase, their eyes met.

"Kurt!"

Blaine could feel his eyes fogging up with tears. He could hardly recognize his husband, the one he so heart-wrenchingly left behind on their wedding night. Kurt had lost so much weight. His frame was more frail than ever, making his wide blue eyes pop out like two fragile glass orbs adorning his angelic face.

The looks of distress, sorrow, and weariness in Kurt made Blaine want to scoop the boy up in his arms and never let him go again. Blaine instantly charged toward his husband.

But just as he was going to bend down to reach for Kurt, the boy gasped and screamed, "Blaine, watch out!"

A streak of silver flashed on one side and Blaine instinctively brought his sword up to parry the strike. A spark flew as two sabers crossed. Counting on the element of surprise, Karofsky brought his sword up again for a vertical slash with enough impact to sever Blaine's arm.

Trying to get out from under his vulnerable position, Blaine quickly reversed his sword grip to allow the forte of the blade to shield his elbow from the strike, and, as Karofsky's saber scraped across the metal edge with a loud screech, Blaine pivoted his hips to land a sharp backhanded elbow jab to Karofsky's jaw, sending the pirate stumbling backwards.

The pushback bought Blaine the room he needed, allowing him to dive and roll away from the engagement to reposition his foothold.

Karofsky took up a defensive pose as Blaine stood upright, the two men kept their sabers leveled and pointed toward each other. Between them, Kurt remained immobilized on the floor, still recovering from the shock of the brief but brutal exchange that nearly stopped his heart.

"Move back, Kurt," Blaine never took his eyes off Karofsky as he slowly crossed his footing to circle the fight. "Try to get to the stairway if you can."

"No, I'm not leaving you," Kurt whispered. "Not ever again."

"How touching," Karofsky mocked as he massaged his jaw. "The two lovebirds finally meet."

"Dave," Blaine made no attempt to conceal the anger in his voice. "I have done everything right by you, yet this is how you repay me, by keeping my husband prisoner?"

"Finders keepers," Karofsky wanted to use Blaine's emotion as an advantage. "And I must say, he has been quite a delectable treat."

From the heavy heaving of Blaine's chest, Karofsky could tell Blaine's rage was eating away at his concentration. Thinking he has an opening, the pirate lunged forward with a thrust of the saber aimed straight at Blaine's heart. But years of disciplined practice put Blaine on autopilot, and he immediately seized the pirate's blade with his own, and with a rotation of the wrist, controlled the direction of his opponent's sword through a circular transfer to bring its force downward. Then, with a quick sidestep, Blaine drive his sword up straight toward Karofsky's forehead.

Panicking, Karofsky scrambled to bring up his sword to block the attack, but not before Blaine's blade left a large gash above the pirate's eyebrow, sending blood down half of his face.

Growling in frustration, Karofsky lunged with a forward thrust again, which Blaine dodged by pivoting his chest at an angle. Then with his left arm tucked on his side, Blaine advanced on the pirate by taking lateral steps alongside Karofsky's line of attack. With a quick punch of the sword hilt to divert his attention, Blaine brought his left arm under the pirate's grip to attempt a disarm.

Reacting to Blaine's skillful maneuvers, Karofsky drew back and head-butted the viceroy, knocking Blaine backwards.

"Captain!" Azimio's voice rang up the stairs as the two men drew back to plan their next offense. "We need to get the hell out of here! The place is falling apart!"

Azimio and a few pirates attempted to run up the stairs to assist their captain, but with a swift leap Finn blocked them in mid-step, forcing them to retreat with wild slashes of his sword.

"Blaine, I got your back! Grab Kurt!" Finn yelled as he charged toward the pirates.

Unfortunately, Finn's novice technique was not quite a match against the seasoned pirates, and in no time his life was put under siege. Just as Finn thought he was going to meet his end at the hacking of a sword, a short scimitar spun through the air, deflecting the attack and boomeranged back to Santana's hand.

"Four against one? That's hardly a fair fight," Santana smirked with her hands on her hips.

"This is not your fight, Santana, stay out of it," Azimio threatened.

Glaring at him with her best bitch face, Santana replied, "The minute one of you goons lit my house on fire, it became my fight."

* * *

"Looks like this is going to be a death match," Karofsky said as the pirate king and the viceroy took up positions to ready the second round of the battle. The two were at a standstill on top the balcony above the saloon. Below, Finn and Santana were engaged in combat against Azimio and the pirates.

"You are right," Blaine replied. "It's time that we put an end to this, once and for all."

Without warning, Karofsky's lunged toward Blaine with his signature forward thrust. But just as Blaine prepared to strike back, Karofsky unexpectedly changed the direction of his attack.

The pirate drove his weapon toward Kurt's throat.

Kurt couldn't even bring himself to scream as he watched the tip of the blade shoot directly toward him.

But before Kurt thought he was closing his eyes for the last time, he heard a desperate scream from Blaine as his husband's body crashed on top of the boy, tackling him out of the way of the blade.

Instead of piercing Kurt's throat, Karofsky's blade punctured Blaine's shoulder.

Rolling on top of Kurt to shield the boy behind him, Blaine gritted his teeth and parried another attack from Karofsky, trying to guard against the relentless offense from his vulnerable pose on the floor. Blaine could feel Kurt flinch at each strike of the metal as the boy pressed himself flush against Blane's side. But Blaine's refusal to move away from Kurt forced the viceroy into a defenseless position, and with one final lunge the pirate put all of his weight down on his sword, hoping to crush the blade into the man below him through sheer strength.

Blaine put all his power into pushing up against Karofsky, and for a while, the two seemed to be engaged in a standoff of force and strength.

"Should have known you'd fight dirty," Blaine's voice was strained as he slowly gained on Karofsky, hoping to push the pirate back with one strong shove.

"You know what they say, all is fair in love and war." Karofsky's voice was strangely calm.

Then he looked down, and Blaine's eyes followed.

In Karofsky's right hand was a pistol, point blank against Blaine's abdomen.

In the split second Blaine realized his predicament, he frowned. When Blaine looked back up, Dave's eyes were waiting for him. That was all the time Blaine had to react.

Then Dave pulled the trigger.

The loud bang soared above the crackling sound of the fire around them, deafening Kurt. In a flash of awareness, the countertenor remembered that, earlier, Karofsky had brought his pistol with him.

Everything suddenly turned into slow motion as Kurt stared at his husband, now lying in his arms, with a dark blood stain rapidly growing to cover his body. The countertenor shook his head at the incomprehensible thought of losing Blaine like this, after they have just spent an eternity apart.

Blaine was taking raggedy breaths, and with each rise of the chest, more blood would gush out of his side.

"No," Kurt sobbed, encircling his arms around Blaine.

"I'm so sorry, Kurt," his husband brought his bloody hand to cup Kurt's face. "I love you."

"Say your final good bye," Karofsky claimed his victory as he brought his sword up so he could finish Lord Anderson with a final stab in the heart.

Before Karofsky's blade came down, another loud bang rang in the air, and Karofsky yelped as he dropped his saber in pain, having been shot in the arm.

"Damn, I was so close," Rachel muttered under her breath. The petite brunet was positioned at the far side of the wraparound balcony, with her long rifle fixed on top of the railing. There was a visible gash on her left shoulder; a burning plank had fell on her as she fought her way up the stairs, preventing her from holding the rifle properly.

"Just so you know, Rachel Barry never misses!" Rachel yelled from her vantage point, frantically reloading her rifle for another shot, hoping to finish the pirate off for good the second time.

Then out of the corner of her eye, she saw that Jeff and Nick have finally arrived in the saloon, and were helping Finn and Santana finish off the pirates.

Azimio was already captured. Finn tied the burly pirate up with whatever he could find. The other pirates looked like they were attempting a bleak last stand as a vindictive Santana went straight for their vitals with every slash of her double scimitar swords.

"Jeff and Nick, get up here now! Blaine is hurt!"

Karofsky heard Rachel's call, and saw immediately that he was vastly outnumbered. His crew was going to be no help to him. As a matter of fact, it was now up to him to save what remained of his loyalists. Nick and Jeff were now sprinting up the stairs to assist their leader, and Rachel Berry looked just about ready to take another shot.

The pirate captain realized that they were faces he had known once in his life. At one point in time, he called them all friends. But now they would not hesitate for a second to kill him.

For Blaine.

Karofsky looked bitterly at the former captain of the Warbler, now drifting in and out of consciousness in Kurt's arms. He hated the fact that Blaine seemed to have everything he'd ever wanted, no matter how hard Dave tried to take them away from him.

The whole time he was an officer on the Warbler, Dave had wanted to be better than Blaine. Since his departure from that life, he thought that sense of rivalry had long subsided. But without a doubt, the sentiment was once again reignited with the arrival of the porcelain beauty.

Karofsky grabbed Kurt by the arm and began to yank the boy up.

"No!" Kurt screamed as he felt himself being pulled away from Blaine. No matter how hard Karofsky tugged, Kurt would not let go of Blaine's limp body.

Finally, Karofsky grabbed Kurt's wrist and pressed until he could feel the bone fracture. Kurt let out a cry of pain as Dave finally pried the couple apart.

"Kurt!" Blaine's arm desperately reached out for his husband.

Jeff and Nick were just about ready to pounce on Karofsky when the pirate held Kurt hostage with a knife to the throat.

"One more step and I'll slice him open," Karofsky shoved Kurt's convulsing body toward Jeff and Nick like a shield, forcing the officers to take a step back.

"You try, and I'll blow your head off," Rachel yelled from the other end of the hall, her finger resting on the trigger of her long rifle.

"If you think you can hit me without killing him, you're welcomed to try," Karofsky began walking forward with Kurt in his arms, forcing Nick and Jeff back further, and began to descend the stairs.

Once down to the saloon, Karofsky looked around for his men. Azimio was still being held captive by Finn, but many others have died by Santana's hands.

"Kurt!" Finn screamed as he saw his little brother's tear-stained face, filled with dread and grief.

"Let Azimio go," Karofsky commanded. With a small flicker of the wrist, his sword marred Kurt's ivory skin with a thin red cut.

Finn looked worriedly at his brother, and released his prisoner.

With Azimio by his side, Karofsky slowly backed out of the brothel. "Don't follow us, or else be prepared to collect his body in a body bag."

"Damn it!" Finn cursed as he watched Karofsky and Azimio disappear out the door with his brother.

Meanwhile, Nick and Jeff carried an unconscious Blaine downstairs, with Rachel closely behind them.

"Santana! We need your help!" Jeff looked to the seductress. "We need to get him to a doctor now!"

The two officers struggled to stay on their feet as they felt a strong jolt beneath them. The crushing heat was a sign that the flames have succeeded in consuming every level of the house, and the structure was about to implode.

"Wait, how do you know Santana?" Nick eyed Jeff doubtfully while straining to keep Blaine's body still.

"Why, do you know Santana?" Jeff replied, studying Nick up and down.

"Oh shut up, both of you," Santana said as she rushed everyone out of the house and away from the blaze.

"Follow me. Blaine's lost too much blood. If he doesn't get help soon he's not going to make it."

* * *

Once aboard the Titan, Captain Karofsky quickly set about to raise the anchor and set sail away from Eden. Many of Titan's crew members perished during the fire at Santana's brothel, so the vessel was operating with a skeleton crew. With so few hands around, even the captain must work hard to man the ship.

With Karofsky occupied, Kurt had plenty of time by himself, to collect his mind.

The scene where Blaine was shot right before him played over and over in Kurt's mind. Each time, the loud boom of the pistol continues to feel like a sharp knife twisting into Kurt's heart, digging deeper and deeper with each repetition. But while the boy thought he would spend the rest of his days crying his eyes out, Kurt surprised himself when the tears just stopped flowing. Instead, Kurt was overcome with a resounding sense of hatred. An emotion that, oddly, seemed to give him focus and purpose

Kurt knew that if Blaine does not survive, then he was going to join his husband, whether it be in heaven or in hell.

But he wouldn't go alone.

For the first time having been aboard the Titan, Kurt went down to the weapons bay down in the lower level of the vessel. He knew that he would find the person he was looking for there.

Sure enough, Puck was down there, testing the gun powder with his hands and inspecting the stock of rifles. He was alone. Kurt had made sure when he circled the vicinity before approaching the pirate.

"I thought I'd bring you a drink," Kurt said with his most charming smile as he handed Puck a cup of ale.

Puck stopped what he was doing and accepted the gift. The first mate began studying the boy, "And to what do I owe the pleasure?

Kurt stepped closer to the muscular man, their lips drawing closer apart.

"I know it was you."

"I don't know what you are talking about." Puck glanced around the room to make sure they were alone. But his attention was drawn to the fluttering lashes of the boy before him.

"I know it was you who started the fire," Kurt forced himself to look longingly as he laid his palm on Puck's bulging pecs. Kurt had planned this over and over in his head, and he willed himself to swallow the repulsion and relax against his potential ally.

Kurt has always known what a soft touch can do to a man.

Even though Kurt was only guessing, Puck's face certainly confirmed the truth. Kurt silently congratulated himself on picking the right man for the job. He long sensed that Puck has been unhappy about Dave's reign as the pirate captain, and funny how Puck was nowhere in sight as the brothel burned to the ground.

"So what if I did? You can't prove it," Puck eyed Kurt up and down. He was confused by the contradicting signals from Kurt's words and body language. The boy sounded like he was going to out the pirate, accusing him of attempted murder. But the way his body curved toward him, the delicate fingers dancing on his chest –

Wait, was Kurt coming on to him?

Puck knew they were alone right now, and he was torn between two contradicting thoughts. Should he knock Kurt out and dump his body into the ocean, as he would a threat, or should he rip Kurt's clothes off and fuck him hard with his throbbing cock, as his dick was loudly urging him to do?

"Don't worry, I'm not going to expose you," Kurt pressed himself on the pirate, feeling Puck's hardening member against his thigh.

"I am here to make a bargain." Kurt undulated his hips, just slightly, but it was enough to draw out a moan from the man.

"A bargain?" Puck's eyes were darkened with lust as he grabbed onto Kurt's waist, fingers slowly snaking under the untucked shirt.

"What do you want from me?" Puck was fixated on the boy's luscious lips, trembling ever so slightly as the pirate's fingers roamed across his naked skin.

"I want you to kill Karofsky."


	7. Heavy In Your Arms Part One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I feel like I should put a warning here because there will be some unpleasant things in this chapter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title of the chapter is named after the song "Heavy In Your Arms" by Florence And The Machine

**Heavy In Your Arms Part One**

"Wait, I think I hear something," Kurt hissed at the man behind him, stilling them both.

The man with the Mohawk hair stalled his hips and turned toward the bright slit between the floorboard and the locked door of the armory, looking for darkened footsteps against the light.

"Nah, there is nobody. Everyone is at their stations."

Puck leaned back lightly so the boy he impaled against the wall could return his feet to the floor.

But just as Kurt thought they were finished, the pirate bucked up again and thrust back into him.

Kurt screamed as he felt himself lifted up, the full length of Puck's cock embedded in him and raising him off the ground. He was pressed against the inboard of the ship's hull, and as the muscular pirate lifted him with each ramming of the hips, he would feel the chipped paint grazing against his cheeks.

Kurt welcomed the pain and shut his eyes tightly to trap the tears from falling, anything to take his mind off the burning thickness driving in and out of his body. He had thought it would get easier after each time. He thought he would just go through the motions. He even forced himself to enjoy it, to revel in the pulsating physical pleasure. But after each rendezvous, he would just end up hating himself more.

"No wonder Karofsky is willing to take on the whole Royal Navy just to fuck you," Puck growled into Kurt's ear as their bodies slowly adjusted to a synched rhythm. The pirate's hands departed from the boy's sides and began to roam aimlessly across his pale chest, kneading and squeezing each curve and fold of the velvety skin.

"Consider yourself a lucky man, then," Kurt reached back to grab Puck's neck, gyrating his body against the man's ripped muscles.

"I'm close, Noah," Kurt's voice was low and breathy. Puck immediately gripped Kurt's erection and began pumping to match his movements. Kurt shut out his mind, wanting to lose himself in the abandon between movement and gratification.

Each of their labored breaths served as a beck and call, fueling and urging them toward their mutual release. Kurt could hear Puck's primal grunts becoming faster and more erratic. In response, he let himself go as well, pushing back against Puck in however which way necessary to climb his own ecstasy.

As Kurt felt Puck come inside him, a sudden flash of coldness on his cheeks threw his eyes open. The tears were silent and unexpected, and to Kurt, they felt like a painful slap on his face.

For a moment, he couldn't distinguish who he was disgusted at, Noah or himself.

Kurt let out a sob.

"Get off of me!" Kurt heard himself scream. Sensing that Puck was lost in his own world, Kurt began thrashing and kicking to untangle himself. In an act of desperation, a surge of energy ran through his body and he elbowed Puck, hard, against the side of his head.

"What the fuck!" Puck stumbled backwards, and Kurt slid on the floor, biting back his cries.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" Puck was furious at the sudden rejection. "You crazy bitch, what are you trying to pull? We had a deal!"

"Yes! A deal!" Kurt forced his anger to take over. "Which you are obviously too chicken shit to make good on. We've been on the sea for days, and I let you fuck me, for days. But what have I gotten out of it? Absolutely nothing! Let's just accept the fact that you are a loser who will always play second fiddle to Dave and move on!"

"Perhaps I need to find someone better, a real man who doesn't bow down and lick Dave's boots every chance he got," Kurt spit as much venom as he could toward Puck. "I think I'd have a better shot with that navigator, Jackson. Or maybe perhaps William, I know that guy's got balls. Hell, even Azimio is probably a better choice –"

Kurt suddenly found himself thrown back against the wall. Before Kurt could react, Puck had lifted him up by the collar, his hand tightening around his throat.

"Shut the fuck up, bitch," Puck's eyes were darkened with rage. "One-eye Jack and Old Bill? I am more man than any of them. I can take them down and cut their hearts out with one hand tied behind my back."

Blackness swarming around his vision, Kurt could barely force any air through his throat. But he knew he had Noah exactly where he wanted. Straining against Puck's grip, Kurt let out a hoarse whisper, "Then show me, Noah. Prove to me that you are the one that I need."

Puck's hand loosened and Kurt slid down the wall, wheezing and coughing.

"If Dave hadn't showed up I would have been captain of the Titan long ago." said Puck spitefully. He walked over to a stack of wooden crates at the corner of the armory and began digging through the straw pile within a particular box.

Before Kurt knew it, Puck returned in front of him with a small amber glass bottle.

"Here," Puck tossed the bottle to Kurt, who caught it in his lap. "I was going to wait until we are closer to our destination to make my move, but if you want this now, then let's do it."

"What is this?" Kurt examined the bottle closer. It was a beautiful container, hand-blown glass with a small ruby stone mounted on the cork top. It contained a clear liquid, sealed tightly with wax. Kurt began to peel back the wax to unscrew the cap.

"No! Wait," Puck grabbed the boy's wrist. "It's a tonic, okay? Don't touch it. Just put it in Karofsky's drink tonight."

"What is it?"

"Has he told you where we are headed?" Puck didn't answer Kurt's question directly.

"He mentioned something about a Skull Island?"

"Look, the Titan needs to regroup, after what happened at Eden. Skull Island is where we stash our loots. It's our base. With the gold we stored there, we'll be able to recruit more crew and start over," Puck explained. "I was going to challenge them once we get to Skull Island, but what the hell."

"What do you mean by challenge him?"

"It's the Pirate's Law. The strongest becomes the captain. It's always been that way with us. And the captain must answer to any challenge. If he loses the duel, then the winner becomes the new captain, and the loser becomes fair game."

"So you want to challenge Karofsky to a duel. What does that have to do with this liquid?" Kurt held up the amber bottle in his delicate hand.

"It's a muscle relaxant, and you are going to put the drug in his drink. It'll make him weak," Puck gave Kurt a menacing smile. "Then tomorrow, I will challenge him to a duel, and this time, I won't let him slip through my fingers. I'll become the new captain of the Titan, and you can have Dave Karofsky's head on a silver platter."

* * *

Back in the captain's cabin, Kurt stared at the pretty amber bottle in his hand, thinking back to Puck's instructions.

_The tonic is tasteless. You are always around him when he has his meals. Just pour the thing in his cup before you pour him his wine. He won't taste a thing. After it's done, give me a signal and leave the rest to me._

When Puck was done giving him the instructions, he reached behind Kurt's head and pulled the boy toward him for a bruising kiss. But rather than the warm touch of their lips, all Kurt could remember was the malice that shined in Puck's eyes, burning through his mind and sealing his pact with the devil. What frightened Kurt the most, though, was that without words, Puck nevertheless made it very clear that if he refused to follow through, it would be his own head served on a silver platter.

Kurt shuddered. All of a sudden, it felt bone chilling in his ship quarters. He reached over to draw the blanket closer to him, ignoring the coarse fabric grading across his smooth skin.

A light knock on the door startled Kurt, and he quickly hid the bottle beneath his pillow. The door slowly creaked open as Zachery entered with a pitcher.

"Master Kurt, I brought you some water."

Ever since the Yenban visit, Zachery has tiptoed around Kurt, hoping to win back his good graces. The boy was left on the ship when it was docked in Eden so he was unharmed by the fire. But seeing that some of the crew didn't make it back to the ship, as well as Kurt's tears for the first few days they set sail, Zach knew that something terrible must have happened on the island.

"Where is the captain?" Kurt asked, hiding his eyes away from the blond boy.

"He's at the helm, manning the ship, sir," Zachery was baffled when he heard Kurt inquiring about Karofsky. The countertenor had done nothing but ignore the pirate captain since they got back on the ship.

"Has he said where he'll be taking his meal tonight?"

"On the deck, sir," Zachery answered. "I think the captain plans to eat with the crew."

"Ask the captain if he will have supper with me tonight," Kurt could hear his heart pounding. _Steady_ , Kurt said to himself as he consciously slowed his breathing, _stay with the plan._

Zachery was silent as he stared at a flushed Kurt, puzzled.

"Now go," the countertenor dismissed his servant curtly, anxious that the little servant boy might see through his thin skin and expose him.

"Yes, sir," Zachery darted toward the cabin door. "I'll inform the captain."

After Zach left the cabin, Kurt quickly reached for the amber bottle and began studying it under the light. The bottle itself was probably worth a lot of money, signaling the value of its content. It seemed so mysterious, a docile clear liquid held in a beautiful glass bottle.

"I can do this," Kurt clutched the bottle to his chest. He can't turn back now. Kurt hadn't planned on being Puck's accomplice, but what difference does it make? He went to Noah. He seduced the man. He wanted Dave dead to avenge Blaine. So now he will also have a direct hand in Dave's demise. Despite that frightening stare from Noah and that unsettled feeling in his stomach, he is getting what he wanted, right?

* * *

Kurt watched little Zachery hum to himself as he hustled and bustled around the simple wooden table in the Captain's quarters, making sure the tabletop was clean of dust before laying the china and silverware in their proper placements.

The sight brought Kurt back in his idyllic life in the Hummel-Hudson Manner, a time that now seemed so foreign to him. Whenever Carol held her parties, Kurt would help her plan the most extravagant centerpiece, pick out intricately laced table linens, and select matching china and glassware to fit the theme of the evening.

The boy would always keep a watchful eye on the servants as they set the supper table, taking a ruler to painstakingly measure the distance of each utensil to the hand embroidered table runner to make sure there is not a single piece out of place.

Kurt had always surrounded himself with everything pure and beautiful. It was how he regarded himself, and it was how he viewed the world. He had recognized that same quality in Blaine when he heard the man sing for the first time, and Kurt felt that his equation was finally complete. Even though Blaine had to shoulder the responsibility of reestablishing his family name and accept the challenge of living a life on the sea, the man had one of the purest hearts of anyone Kurt has ever known. It was what drew his friends and shipmates to him, and it always made Kurt immensely happy to know that pure and beautiful heart belonged to him.

But what has he given Blaine in return? Besides a bullet in the gut?

Zachery placed two goblets on the table and reached for the wine decanter to fill up the glasses.

"Wait!" Kurt called out to Zach.

"Leave the glasses," Kurt had to cough a little to ease his dry throat. "Put the bottle on my desk, I'll pour the wine later."

"Yes, Master Kurt," Zachery didn't think otherwise. He did as Kurt said and moved on to lay the other dishes on the table.

By the time the pirate captain joined Kurt for supper, Zachery had already placed every fancy food item he could muster up in the Titan's galley on the table. Which unfortunately wasn't much – stale bread and over ripened fruit, with an over-cooked roast resembling charcoal in the center of the table, sprinkled with a few dingy potato wedges.

But neither Kurt nor Dave were hung up on the feast before him. When Zachery excused himself from the cabin, they were both demure and quiet, lost in their own thoughts. Kurt was trying to hide his nervousness by slowly running his sweaty palms along his thighs, hoping Dave won't look him directly in the eyes.

The countertenor's anxiety, though, was misinterpreted by the pirate as a sign of reconciliation.

Karofsky was shocked at first, when Zachery had informed him that Kurt requested to dine with him. How funny, Karofsky had thought, he was being invited to dinner in his own room. But then it dawned on him. They have shared numerous meals together since he first took he boy, but this was different. Kurt initiated this meal sharing. Dave couldn't help but wonder if maybe, just maybe, Kurt was beginning to accept him. Perhaps Kurt has finally come to realize that, with Blaine Anderson's sure death, Dave would become the beauty's new champion, his protector.

"Are you just going to stare at the food all day?" Kurt's lyrical voice got Dave's attention.

"Sorry, I was just thinking that everything looks great," Dave paid no attention to the meal as he began to cut into the roast.

If Kurt wasn't so worried about that little amber bottle hidden behind the decanter on his desk, this would have been a perfect moment to show off his bitch-please look. But Kurt just remained quiet as Dave wrestled with the tough meat.

"So, how long before we get to Skull Island?" Kurt tried to make conversation with the man before him, hoping to make everything seem normal.

"Four nights and a day, perhaps faster if the wind is in our favor," Dave broke the bread and handed a piece to Kurt.

The boy took the bread and began to tear of little bits to put in his mouth. Kurt was so nervous that he had no idea what it actually tasted like.

Which was why Kurt dropped the food and shrieked when he suddenly felt Dave's presence right next to him.

The Captain shifted his chair toward Kurt's side of the table and took the boy's hand in a firm grasp.

"Kurt, I know this has all been very hard for you. But I promise, I will make it all better."

"What.. What are you talking about? How are you going to make it all better?" Kurt's heart was beating a mile a minute. With Dave's face so close to his, he thought he was going to pass out.

"After we get to Skull Island, I will take my share of the treasures, and then you and I can leave this god-forsaken ship and start a new life together," Dave looked at the long smooth fingers in his hand, and marveled at the luminous beauty before him. "We've discussed this before, Kurt. You are everything I've ever wanted. You are mine now. Once I get my money, we will go away together."

"What about the Titan?" Kurt had completely forgotten about the conversation they had before the fiery blaze at Santana's.

"The crew is going to be fine. With the loot we have stashed at Skull Island, the Titan will have no problem recruiting additional people. In time, they will find a new captain," Dave was so engrossed in his own plan that he did not notice the blood draining from Kurt's trembling lips. "I know I have hurt you in the past, but I promise you, from now on I will treat you well. I will take care of you, Kurt."

Dave bowed down and planted a long kiss on the back of Kurt's hand.

Kurt was surprised, and frankly also appalled. Having been courted by suitors all his life, Kurt was accustomed at dealing with a few strong willed ones who equates patronization with love. If being taken care of was all Kurt Hummel wanted, he would have settled for Sandy Ryerson long ago.

But no, Kurt has always wanted more.

But what shocked Kurt, though, was that he was now being courted by Dave. He was kidnapped and kept as a prisoner by the pirate king, a fact that Dave has made painfully obvious in the past. With the tender kiss, however, Kurt knew their roles have reversed. Kurt had refused to believe it, despite what Brittany told him in the Saloon. But now as Dave begged for his love, it was as obvious as day. It was now Kurt who held the power.

Kurt reached up and cupped Dave's cheek in his hand, a gesture of affection that he knew could melt the most guarded of men.

Sure enough, Dave closed his eyes and leaned into Kurt's caress, completely ignorant of the heavyhearted indifference in the cerulean eyes.

"Let me get you some wine."

Dave nodded at Kurt's hypnotic voice, and returned to his food while the boy took the goblets to the desk.

With his back turned toward Dave, Kurt uncorked the amber glass bottle and slowly poured the tonic into Dave's glass. He then filled it up to the rim with the wine in the decanter, and handed the goblet to Dave, who took it with a smile.

I guess now we wait, Kurt thought as he sat down on his chair, slipping the shallow wine in his own cup.

But rather than bringing the goblet to his lips, Dave placed the cup back on the table and reached for a fig on the fruit plate.

"I didn't know we still have fruit left on the ship," Dave said casually as he bit into the fruit.

It wasn't until Dave looked at Kurt questioningly that the latter realized that he was holding his breath.

"Wanna try a piece?" Dave handed the other half of the fig to Kurt. "It's really good."

Kurt shook his head, "Aren't you thirsty?"

"Yeah, but these are very juicy," Dave replied as he picked up another fig and handed to Kurt. "Com'on, try one, I'm sure you'll like it."

"Fine," Kurt accepted the fruit and gingerly bit into the sweet flesh.

The countertenor blushed when he realized that Dave was silently watching him slowly chew his food.

"This is nice," Dave lowered his gaze.

"What is nice?" Kurt wiped the juice from his chin, sneaking a glance at the untouched goblet next to the pirate.

"You and me, sharing a meal together," Dave answered with a sigh. He reached for his glass. "It's like everything is going to be alright."

Kurt held his breath.

Just as Dave was going to take a drink from his goblet, the door suddenly swung open and several of the Titan's crew busted through the frame, laughing and bickering loudly.

"Captain! You gotta come watch this! Azimio and Jack got in an argument again and now they are fighting on the deck! Me and Bill have our gold on Azimio!"

Karofsky put his goblet back down on the table.

"Sorry, Kurt," Dave apologized. "I have to go make sure those two hotheads don't break the mask like they did last time."

"You have got to be kidding me," Kurt muttered under his breath.

"I'm not deserting you," Sensing Kurt's displeasure, Karofsky thought he'd try to make it right. "Why don't you come with me? Come, you might actually enjoy watching the match." He took Kurt's hand and led him out of the cabin.

The fight was already in progress when Dave and Kurt arrived on the deck. Most of the ship's crew had formed a large circle around Azimio and Jackson, cursing and cheering at their every move. Azimio had Jackson in a guillotine choke, with his arm wrapped around Jackson's neck, hoping to knock him out. But while Azimio was bigger, Jackson was faster, and before Azimio can lock on the Jackson's hip, the latter escaped with a mean punch to his side.

"Ohh!" Karofsky hollered along with the crowd as they cheered on Jackson's move.

"Aren't you going to stop them from fighting?" Kurt grabbed Dave's arm. The crowd was going wild and more bets were placed as Jackson tackled Azimio to the deck.

"What for?" Dave had to yell over the noise. "One-Eye Jackson is married to Azimio's sister, don't worry, those two get it on all the time. They wrestle over the smallest things. It's just good old rubbing!"

"Whatever," Kurt frowned, and Dave returned his attention back to the wrestling match. Across from the circle, Kurt noticed Noah looking at him. The Mohawk-haired pirate shifted his eyes toward Karofsky, and then back to Kurt. Kurt knew what Noah wanted to know.

No, Kurt shook his head, and Noah scowled.

After several exchanges between the two wrestlers, Azimio finally locked Jackson in a backbreaker stranglehold, and with a kick to Jackson's back, slammed the one-eyed pirate face down on the ground, allowing Azimio to mount his back.

"Surrender!" Azimio screamed, snaking his arm around Jackson with a cobra clutch, immobilizing him and slowly cutting off the blood flow to his head.

"Good move Azimio!" Old Bill cheered as the other pirates started chanting Azimio's name.

"Zachery," The pirate captain called out to the servant boy that stood at the back of the crowd, trying to get a glimpse of the show. "Go fetch my wine and bring it to me."

Meanwhile, knowing that the match was lost, Jackson relented and began slapping the floor with his free hand, tapping out of the match and acknowledging his defeat.

"That'll show you not to bad mouth my sister again," Azimio cursed as he let go of his brother-in-law, who rolled over onto his back and moaned loudly as the winner got back on his feet.

"And we have a champion!" Dave stood next to Azimio and raised the winner's arm to claim his victory.

"Your wine, sir?" Zachery had returned with the wine goblet. And before Kurt could say anything, Karofsky took the cup and handed to Azimio.

"To the winner go the spoils! Drink to your victory!"

"Drink! Drink!" The crowd went wild, and Azimio emptied the cup in one large gulp. The frenzied crowd quickly lifted the winner on their shoulders and started parading around the ship deck.

"Damn it, Azimio!" Kurt screamed in full panic mode, and attempted to run after the scarred pirate. But not only was his voice covered up by the cheers, with the many crew mates surrounding the pirate, Kurt couldn't even get close to him.

"Noah!"

Finally, Kurt was able to squeeze next to Puckerman. "You have to do something, the tonic… Azimio just drank the tonic…"

"What?" Puck turned ghostly white. "Why the hell did you give it to him?"

"I didn't!" Kurt clung to Puck, not knowing what to do. "It was Dave's cup, I didn't know he was going to give it to him. What are we going to do now?"

"Fuck," Puck stared long and hard at the unintended victim, still sitting on the shoulder of his friends, laughing.

"Nothing," The pirate bit his lip. "We are going to do nothing."

"What? But…"

Puck gripped Kurt's wrist, eliciting a pained yelp from the boy. "If you say a single word, I will gut you. Do you hear me?"

Kurt nodded, frightened by Noah's cold eyes.

"Where is the bottle now?" Puck asked.

"It's on my desk… in the cabin," Kurt whimpered.

"God damn it," Puck roughly pushed Kurt aside and headed toward the direction of the cabin.

"Noah, where are you going?" Kurt whispered after Puck, afraid of being left alone.

"To take care of the mess you made," The pirate threw Kurt a mean look that nearly knocked the boy backwards. He could do nothing but watch as Puck disappeared toward the captain's quarters, unnoticed by the rest of the crew.

"It's just a muscle relaxant," Kurt whispered to himself, hoping to downplay the mistake. "It's nothing. Maybe Azimio won't even notice."

* * *

While Kurt was lost in his own thought in the corner, Karofsky was enjoying the company of his crewmen. The wrestling match between Azimio and Jackson might have disrupted his heart to heart with Kurt, the fight, with its excitement and humor, brought a sense of normalcy to the disparaged crew, and in some ways, even rallied them together. It was a sight that Karofsky, as captain, was happy to see. The idea that his obsession with Kurt has brought nothing but trouble to the Titan was not lost on Karofsky. He knew that some of the crew, led by Puck, think he is to blame for the death of their two crew mates in the hands of the Yenban, and may even hold some grudge over the fire in Eden that claimed the lives of their friends. But at the same time, some of them, particularly Azimio, have stuck with him through thick and thin.

"Okay, Azimio, I think you have gloated enough," The pirate captain gave his friend a strong pat on the back, and thought it was a good time to order everyone to return to their duties. It won't be long before they reach Skull Island. Karofsky has already decided that he is going to spread the wealth once they get there, making sure everyone will have their equal share, as well as a choice to continue on the ship or move on.

It's going to be a new beginning for everyone. Especially for him and Kurt.

"What? It's never enough!" Azimio laughed, but the laughter eventually turned into a fit of coughs.

"Look at him," Old Bill joked. "Azimio is getting too old for this shit! Can't even keep his liquor anymore!"

"Screw you, Bill," Azimio swore. "I can drink you under the table any day."

But Azimio's coughs did not subside. Rather, it got stronger and more violent with each exhale, and pretty soon, it felt like Azimio was coughing up a lung.

"Are you alright?" Karofsky reached for his friend when Azimio suddenly clutched his throat and bent down as if his body was convulsing. Some of the crew members were still laughing loudly in a tight circle around them, unaware of the change of circumstances.

When Azimio finally looked up to the captain, Karofsky stumbled backwards as the other pirates around him stood silently in the sudden shock.

Blood was beginning to ooze out of Azimio's eyes, nose, and down from his ears. It seemed to be just a trickle, but bead after bead, the liquid poured out of the orifices like the pirate was just simply leaking. Leaking blood.

"What the fuck?" Azimio reached up to wipe his nose, and was shocked to see his fingers covered with the dark liquid, shimmering in the night lights.

Azimio took a step toward his crew mates, seeking answers that they do not have. They could only stand there in shock, unprepared for the ghastly vision before their eyes.

Before the scarred pirate can say anything more, he began coughing again. This time, mucus was replaced by blood, and within moments, Azimio began to vomit blood in front of his friends.

"Somebody... Do something!" Jackson yelled to the rest of the crew, rushing to his brother-in-law hoping to help him.

"Get him some water!" Karofsky commanded, and Old Bill immediately turned around to fetch whatever he can.

The rest of the crew could only watch helplessly as One-Eye Jack held the collapsed Azimio in his arms. The pirate was now in a full blown seizure, his arms and legs twitching and jerking uncontrollably, as streams of blood continued to pour out of him.

Azimio opened his mouth, as if trying to cry out in pain, but the only sound was a hoarse wail that sent a chill down the spine of everyman onboard.

The jolts of the pirate's limbs suddenly picked up speed, and before Old Bill could return with a water pitcher, the limbs became completely still.

An eerie silence washed over the crew of the Titan. Azimio's eyes were still wide open, blood shot and bulging from its sockets. With the stillness of his body, it seemed like Azimio had suddenly just froze in time.

"Is he…" Someone said softly.

Jackson held his fingers below Azimio's nose, and after a few moments, looked up to Karofsky and said in a shaky voice, "I think… He's stopped breathing."


	8. Heavy in Your Arms Part Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Putting here a warning for this chapter: death and self-harm.
> 
> Title of the chapter is named after "Heavy In Your Arms" by Florence And The Machine

**Heavy in Your Arms Part Two**

Karofsky was furious.

In fact, Karofsky cannot remember another time in his life that his blood has boiled like this. The captain of the Titan stared at the contorted and lifeless body of his long-time friend and he could feel his own limbs tremble as rage rippled through his chest.

Over and over, his crew has put their lives in his hands and followed him into battle, no challenges, no questions asked. And, in in return for their trust and loyalty, it was his duty to look out for them.

Especially Azimio.

The pirate captain knelt down and held his friend's limp wrist – partly to test for a pulse, and partly to recreate that connection so savagely severed just moments ago. Azimio has been his most loyal mate. Even in the most questionable of times Azimio has never left his side, faithfully taking orders and following the Code – the pirate code of obedience and fellowship.

Captain Karofsky surveyed the deck and looked into the eyes of his crew, and he saw confusion, horror, and most of all, anger.

Because it was obviously poison.

The crewmates of the Titan have been around death all of their lives. The pirates operate outside the confines of law and order, and in their times they have seen all of death and violence in its many, many forms. What happened to Azimio was not natural, and everyone could tell.

Which was why all eyes were now on the pirate captain.

"Captain," Old Bill's voice was hoarse and unsettled. One of their own has just been struck down in the most unexpected moment, within the sanctity of their own ship. "How do you make of this? What say you, sir?"

Karofsky furled his brows as he studied the body. Could someone have poisoned Azimio while they were back in Eden? Their food must have passed through numerous hands in Santana's saloon, and anyone with a grudge could have slipped something in there for the unsuspected.

Or, could it have been a more recent event? A poison this vicious and intense wouldn't be the type to stay dormant in Azimio's body for a long period of time. Having spent the past several days together on deck, Karofsky surely would have noticed some symptoms if Azimio didn't himself.

The captain reached down to grip Azimio's slack jaw. Fishing out a handkerchief from his pocket, Karofsky carefully used the piece of clothe to pull out Azimio's tongue, careful not to make physical contact with the poisoned flesh.

The tongue was a deep shade of blue.

A hushed gasp could be heard around him as the pirates huddled close to get a closer look at Karofsky's discovery.

All of a sudden, Karofsky's mind flashed back to a time when he was still serving on the Warbler. During a mission in the Caribbean, there was an incident when a mate of the Royal Navy died of a mysterious death, and the locals believed it was the wrath of one of their pagan gods. But Nick was able to show that it was poison, fed to the young lad by the hands of a woman scorned. Karofsky could still remember the bluish tint of the soldier's tongue as Nick examined the body.

A thought flashed across Karofsky's mind, and the pirate captain slowly picked up the goblet that Azimio last drank from. The cup was dropped to the floor after Azimio downed the celebratory liquid in a single gulp. Karofsky examined the instrument closely, and noticed there were still a few drops of liquid inside the curved bowl.

"Bill, go down to the lower decks and find me an animal," Karofsky commanded. "I don't care what, a rat, whatever. Just find me something alive."

"Aye, Captain," Old Bill eyed the goblet with a long look and rushed down to the bowels of the ship.

The rest of the ship was eerily quiet as they waited for their mate to return.

In no time, Old Bill's footsteps could be heard coming up the creaky ladder leading up to the main deck. A rat wouldn't be hard to find on a ship – not only are they impossible to eradicate, but the pirates have purposely kept them on board. Animals can sense impending storms, and to survive a harsh life at sea, you need all the signals.

Bill brought up a large rat, still squealing and struggling in his firm grasp, its tails flopping wildly as it fruitlessly tried to get away from its captor.

"Hold it as still as you can," Karofsky walked up to Bill with the cup.

Very carefully, Karofsky poured the remaining drops of liquid into the mouth of the screaming animal.

Then everyone held their breath.

In no time, the rat began to twitch violently as blood pooled outside of its round black eyes.

"What the fuck!" Bill screamed and dropped the animal to the floor, and the crew of the Titan sucked in a shallow breath as they watched a repeat of the horror they witness not so long ago. The body of the rat was contorted in pain as blood continued to leak out of its eyes, ears, and nose.

One-Eye Jackson ran to the rat and began to stomp on the animal, hoping to silence that frightening wail coming out of a tiny body.

"I demand justice!" Jackson screamed, his heart pounding, eyes bloodshot from anger and rage. Jackson looked to his captain, "I demand retribution! Someone just murdered my brother-in-law in cold blood and god help me I will avenge him even if it's the last breath I ever take."

"But who would want to kill Azimio?" Another pirate asked, looking around the shipmates. Azimio got in plenty of fights and disputes with his fellow pirates while on the ship, but who hasn't?

"It wasn't meant for Azimio," Karofsky said solemnly, studying the goblet in his hand. "I think the poison was meant for me."

* * *

Kurt felt like he was submerged beneath ice-cold water as the events unfolded before his eyes. He was shivering, yet his shirt has become soaked in sweat as he watched Dave examine the cup. Then when Bill dropped the dying rat to the floor, that thud felt like a sharp knife stabbing into the countertenor's heart.

He didn't even realized he had become faint until a strong, muscular arm gripped his waist and a familiar set of menacing eyes perched above him like the night vultures.

Betrayal.

That was the only word that flashed across Kurt's mind. He looked painfully into Puck's eyes.

"You lied to me, Noah," Kurt's lips were trembling as he barely whispered. "You lied to me…"

"I was giving you want you wanted," Puck said between his clinched teeth. "Did it matter how Karofsky died, either by my hands or yours? Remember, you came to me."

"But…" Kurt looked at the circle of pirates around the bodies. His legs would have given away by now if not for the bone-crushing hold of the Mohawk-haired pirate. "What do we do now? They are going to find out… they are going to find out it was me."

"No they won't," Puck whispered. "I already threw the bottle out to sea. If you say nothing, no one can pin this on you."

"But…" Kurt hesitated. "Azimio, Azimio is dead, Noah. How can I say nothing?"

"What, so you want to confess and die so they can avenge Azimio?" Puck glared at Kurt. "If you think Azimio is worth it, then go on. If you want Karofsky to have killed you and your Viceroy husband, and gotten away with it, then go ahead. Is that how you want all this to end?"

"No," Kurt shook his head. Blaine's gentle smile flashed in his mind. "I must avenge Blaine. Dave can't get away with what he did to Blaine, to me…." Tears began to pool in Kurt's dark-green eyes, as the boy forced himself to swallow the guilt and harden his own heart.

"Good boy," Puck's smile was anything but warm. "Just deny everything and leave the rest up to me."

* * *

Karofsky looked at the goblet in his hand. Azimio drank out of the cup, but before he handed it to his friend, its content was destined for his lips.

It was for him, because he had asked Zachery to fetch his own cup.

"Go and bring me the cabin boy," Karofsky commanded the pirates. He hadn't seen Zachery since the boy handed him his cup. The blond mop-haired boy was the last person to touch his cup before Karofsky, and the pirate captain wondered…

"Captain, you think it's that little shithead?" Jackson was fuming. "I knew it. I always knew there is something weird about him. He always looked like he was hiding something. I'll go get him."

Before Karofsky could call to Azimio's brother-in-law, Jackson ran after the pirates and went searching for Zachery.

The pirate captain was lost in his own thoughts as he watched the pirates disappeared toward the subbasements of the ship in search of the cabin boy. He has never paid much attention to the boy before. They have had plenty of slaves on the ship, and while most the time they were chained up behind iron bars, he had allowed Zachery to run free on the ship so he can serve Kurt. The boy sure didn't look like he could be a murderer, but Karofsky have seen plenty of killers in his life, and he knew they come in all shapes and sizes. The Titan has experienced slave revolts before; some even resulted in casualties of the crew. But this was the first time it had happened so unsuspected.

When Jackson brought the little cabin boy before their captain, Karofsky could see that the pirate has already done a number on the boy. Half of Zachery's face was swollen, and the boy was crying furiously and begging to be let go.

"Captain, look what I found in his little rat hole in the galley," Jackson stuck out his hand, and on his palm were several items that glistened in the moonlight: A pocket watch, a few rings, some loose stones, and a gold coin. "The boy is not only a murderer, but he is also a thief! That's Old Bill's pocket watch. I've seen Bill take it out many times."

"What?" Bill reached for his heirloom. "I thought I had lost this. I couldn't figure out what happened to it for the life of me. So this little turd stole my watch?"

"Please," Zachery was sobbing uncontrollably. "I didn't mean to do it, please…"

Bill struck the cabin boy across the face. "So you are saying my watch just magically walked into your bunk?"

Zachery screamed as he felt to the floor from the blow, and continued to cry before his captors.

Karofsky reached down and yanked the cabin boy's hair, forcing him to face the captain.

"What did you put in my drink, Zachery," Karofsky's icy voice sent a shiver down the boy's spine.

"I… I don't know," Zachery had no idea what the captain was asking. He had gone back to his resting place in the ship's galley after handing the captain his cup. When he was woken up violently by the ship's crew, and as he watched them search his corner and found the stuff that he has stolen from the pirates, he knew that his life would probably end in a gruesome death tonight.

"Please," Zachery pleaded. "Please don't kill me, have mercy…"

"Captain!" Jackson screamed. "I demand an eye for an eye! You owe me that much, you owe Azimio!"

The rest of the pirates howled and screamed in agreement behind the grieving pirate.

Karofsky frowned as he watched the incoherent cabin boy beg for his life. Around them the pirates were roaring and cursing, their anger fueled by the demand for blood and revenge. He knew he couldn't get anything more out of Zachery tonight. Karofsky couldn't tell whether the boy was incapable of confessing, or could it be that he already had? Either way, if he doesn't resolve this issue tonight, he could have a mutiny on his hands. The crew demanded justice, and the situation was growing more out of hand.

"No!"

A frantic and high-pitched voice pierced through the rumble and Karofsky turned around to see Kurt struggling in Puck's arms.

"Please, please let Zachery go," Kurt begged as he struggled with Puck to run toward the cabin boy. But Puck held him back.

"Captain," Puck said calmly. "I don't think Kurt should be here right now…"

Karofsky nodded. It would be too painful for Kurt to watch Zachery receive his punishment. Zachery has been serving Kurt since the Loudoun, and it was understandable that Kurt would be attached to the cabin boy. Karofsky flinched as an unbearable thought made his limbs cold with fear, what if it was Kurt who accidentally drank from his cup?

"Take Kurt back to my quarters," Karofsky instructed his First Mate.

"Aye, captain," Puck replied and began dragging Kurt away from the scene.

Karofsky turned toward the blond boy and grabbed the slender shoulders so the boy was facing him.

"I am going to ask you just one last time. Why did you try to kill me?"

"I don't know," Zachery was hysterical. "I don't know what you are talking about, please, please don't kill me."

Around them the pirates were in a wild, blood-lust, trance, demanding immediate satisfaction.

Karofsky reached out with his hands and gripped Zachery's head.

Not far away, Kurt was finally able to escape Puck's painful arm lock. The countertenor turned back toward the main deck and ran as fast as he could toward the cabin boy.

Tears trailing behind his mad dash, Kurt didn't know what he would do once he got there, he just knew he couldn't bear another death on his hands.

But the only thing he saw when he got to the main deck was Karofsky's hands around Zach's head, and with one forceful twist of his arms, the pirate captain rolled the boy's head between his palms. A loud crunch could be heard as the boy's neck was broken, and the crew of the ship went wild as the boy's body fell to the ground.

Kurt screamed and blacked out.

* * *

Kurt felt like his heart was about to burst out of his chest as he sat up abruptly on his bed, awoken by the crushing nightmare. The countertenor could feel the shivers in his body down to his fingers, and he pressed his palm to himself instinctively, trying to rid of the tightness in his chest. His world was turning up-side-down, and he wished nothing than to wake up and be away from it all.

A pair of strong arms circled him, and Kurt could feel himself being pulled into a tight embrace.

"Blaine," The boy whispered, hoping that everything was just a dreadful dream, and that his husband was there to console him the morning after.

"It's okay, Kurt, everything is alright now. You're safe."

The voice was calming, but it was not Blaine. Kurt looked up and closed his eyes with a whimper as Dave laid a butterfly kiss on his forehead.

"I am sorry you had to see that," Dave said. "I know you didn't want me to kill Zach. Please forgive me. But it'll soon be over. Once we get to Skull Island, you and I will be able to get away from all this. I promise you that you will have many servants when we start our new life together. It's all going to be alright, I promise."

Kurt shook his head in silence as burning tears streamed down his face. He wanted to say so many things, he wanted to apologize to Zachery, to apologize for his mistakes. But the only thing that came out were sobs.

Dave held the countertenor closer to his heart, reveling in the thought of their wonderful life together after he fetches his share of the treasures from Skull Island.

"Trust me, Kurt," Dave soothed. "It's going to be okay."

 _No, things are not okay_ , Kurt knew in his heart. _It will never be okay, ever again._

* * *

Since Zachery's death, Kurt had become withdrawn. The countertenor locked himself up in the captain's cabin all day, and barely exchanged words with anyone on the ship, Karofsky included. The captain understood Kurt was in mourning, and thought that the boy just needed some time to come out of his shell. Dave just wanted to get to Skull Island as soon as possible so the Titan can regroup, and he and Kurt can start over. So in the meantime, Dave just left Kurt alone.

Puck, however, was becoming more apprehensive about Kurt's reclusiveness. He could not go near Kurt when the boy remained inside his quarters, and Kurt's proximity to Karofsky meant that the boy had ample opportunities to confess about the poison and Zachery. If so, that would implicate Puck.

The pirate was beginning to think Kurt might be a liability.

While Dave and Noah were both locked in their own wandering thoughts, a new development diverted their attention.

"Captain!" The ship's navigator called out to Karofsky one morning as he spotted a ship not too distant behind the Titan.

The Titan was but a couple of days from the pirates' home base, Skull Island. Which meant it was more alarming for the pirates to realize that they were being followed.

"What do you think? Can you make out their flag?" Karofsky handed his telescope to his First Mate, and Puck began to examine the distant ship behind them.

"It's the Yenban, I'm sure," Puck frowned as he passed the telescope back to the navigator. "I have seen their ships before. This is a tracker, a light weight ship with a skeletal crew, ideal for finding their targets in the vast ocean."

"You think they've been tracking us all this time?" Bill said worriedly. "We can't risk them finding out the location of our hideout. That would mean the end of us."

"They must be out for revenge, after our run-in with their scouts," Another pirate chimed in.

"Or they may be working for the Royal Navy," Puck suggested. "Either way, I agree with Bill, we can't have them find out the coordinates of our island. They only have a small crew. I say we slow down and fight them head on. Let's get this over with before we arrive at Skull Island."

Bill nodded.

"No," Karofsky denied the suggestion. "Their ship is faster than ours and can easily out maneuver us. If we engage them here we might be chasing after them for days. We will continue on course toward Skull Island, and intercept them at the nearby isles."

"But Captain," Bill objected. "If there are survivors then the location of our hideout could be exposed, which mean we would have to move our home base and start over…."

"It's my decision," Karofsky put an end to the discussion. "That is how we will proceed."

"Aye, aye, Captain," The crew responded as Bill and Puck exchanged a concerned look.

* * *

While the shipmates of the Titan understood that they must follow the order of their captain, what they did not expect was the effect of the Yenban on their nerves. Already demoralized by the fire at Eden and Azimio's death, the thought of being followed and watched by a group as powerful and mysterious as the Yenban slowly ate away at the psyches of the crew. In no time, nerves were being set on a short fuse, and the morale of the ship was beginning to unravel. After all, the Yenban never forgives and forgets, and many pirates on the Titan became fearful that one morning they might wake up to find their own heads severed from their bodies in their sleep.

One night, after Karofsky retired to his quarters, the pirates who were not on duty congregated in the lowest level of the ship.

"I honestly don't know how much more I can take of this," Old Bill was the first to speak up. "I am constantly looking behind my back at that damn tracker ship. I know it ain't my place to say, but I still feel like we are leading them to our graves. It just doesn't feel right."

"I'm with Old Bill on this," Another pirate chimed in. "That ship is like a damn ghost. It's an omen, I tell you, bad luck all around."

"But what can we do?" said Jack. "Karofsky is our captain. We've taken an oath to follow and obey. Do we really want to have that big 'M' word hanging over our heads?"

"What, mutiny?" Puck replied. "There, I said it. Look, the captain is supposed to lead, to protect the loot and the welfare of our ship. But ever since the Loudoun, he has not been acting like a captain. I say he's been more like a love-sick puppy. Have we scored any treasures since the Loudoun? No! All we have had were blood and deaths!"

"Tis true," Bill agreed. "That pretty boy is bad luck. Everything started going downhill since the captain brought him onboard. Eden and Azimio, rest his soul, all these things happened because of him."

"I say when a captain no longer acts and behaves like a captain, then we are no longer beholden to the Code," Puck chose his words carefully, looking into the eyes of his fellow pirates. "What happened at Eden, what happened to Azimio, and what is happening to us now, is all due to his lack of ability to lead. So I say if he no longer has the capability to serve as our captain, then it is time for us to find a new one."

The pirates looked at each other and nodded in agreement.

"When do we take him down?" Bill asked.

"At Skull Island," Puck's eyes were stone cold. "He is not to leave the island alive."

"What about his share of the loot?" asked someone.

"To be divided evenly between us," Puck smiled.

"And the boy?"

"Leave him to me."

* * *

A loud rumble woke Kurt up from his slumber. He could feel the walls of the cabin vibrating in the aftershock of the loud noise. Kurt could immediately sense the danger, for he could hear hollering and rushed footsteps outside on the deck. But when he finally pried open the latch of his window, he could only see one thing:

Land.

Before him was a small island. But rather than a sand dune typical of the tropics, this island was really just a jagged mountain of black lava stones protruding out of the blue ocean, perhaps remnants of an underwater volcano that has gone dormant many centuries ago.

They have finally reached Skull Island. From the cliffs and caves atop the stone mountain, Kurt could faintly make out the shape of a human skull. No doubt a fitting place to stash the loots of a pirate ship.

Another loud rumble startled Kurt, and the violent jolt of the ship upon impact knocked Kurt to the floor.

Kurt quickly got dressed and ran out to the main deck. The smoke and screaming all around him brought back memories of that fateful day when the Loudoun went down and its crew massacred.

"Fire!"

He could hear Karofsky yell the command as the crew of the Titan struggled to ignite a loaded cannon on the port side of the ship. The deck shook as the Titan launched a cannon ball toward its pursuer, and Kurt had to grab on to the railing to keep on his feet.

Kurt had expected the Titan to be battling the Yenban's tracker ship, which he knew has been following them for quite some time. But what he didn't expect was the presence of three battleships closing in on the Titan. On top of the crow's nest of each ship flew a bright maritime flag that glistened in the morning sun – A golden crown set against a dark blue background.

The insignia of Her Majesty's Royal Navy.

The projectile of the cannon ball quickly lost its momentum, and the metal weight dropped in the water before the naval ships.

As the crew of the Titan rushed to reload the cannons, the naval ships fired back at the pirates. Large fiery sparks could be seen from the sides of the battleships as multiple cannon balls were lodged toward the Titan.

"Incoming!" Bill screamed as the pirates duck for cover. But rather than hitting the pirate ship, the cannon balls all landed in the water around the vessel. The impact in the ocean tossed the ship up and all those aboard were thrown to the floor.

"Ha ha, those idiots missed us!" One-eye Jack laughed in relief as he scrambled to his feet. Running to the port-rail, he began waiving obscene hand gestures to his enemies.

"Get back to your station, you fool!" Puck screamed. "That was a warning shot! They are not trying to hit us, they want us alive you imbecile!"

"Captain, we have to retreat to the island," Bill rushed toward Karofsky. "We are outnumbered and out-armed, at this rate they will overtake us in minutes."

"That's exactly what they want us to do," Karofsky shook his head. "They are trying to corner us and force us to abandon ship. They will have us surrounded."

"They have us surrounded now!" Puck yelled as he positioned his rifle to aim at the naval ships. "We can take a defensive position at the top of the mountain, and tonight we can ride out in the ship we have hidden in the cave on the other side of the island. It's our only chance!"

"Tis true, captain, here we are exposed," Bill agreed. "We only have two working cannons and a few cannon balls left, and they have… I don't have that many fingers but they have way too many of everything!"

"Damn," Karofsky cursed angrily. "Fine. Drop the anchor! We are going ashore!"

"Aye, Captain," Puck replied and echoed. "Drop the anchor!"

Meanwhile, the naval battleships were moving rapidly toward the Titan, and Kurt began to cry as he recognized two faces at the helm of the largest ship.

"Thad! Trent!" Kurt leaned against the rail, trying to close in on the distance between him and Blaine's friends.

"Kurt!" Thad spotted the boy in his telescope and began waiving back, but Kurt couldn't hear what Thad was saying over the noise.

"Blaine!" Kurt screamed at Thad, his voice choking and cracking between the sobs. "Where is Blaine?"

Before he could make out Thad's response, Kurt had the wind knocked out of him as Puck tackled him to the ground. Kurt moaned in pain as the pirate dragged him toward the starboard side of the ship.

"You didn't have to hurt him, Puck," Karofsky scolded his First Mate as the captain rushed toward them. Dave scooped up a whimpering Kurt in his arms and began to slowly lower him down to the wooden row boat where the rest of the Titan's crew was waiting. Puck shrugged and followed closely behind.

"There! We need to go toward the base of the mountain," Karofsky instructed as the pirates began to row toward the island. "There is a shallow area where we can dock, and it will lead us directly up the cliff and up to the cave entrance at the top of the mountain."

"Aye, captain," The crew of the Titan began to roll their paddles in synch. Behind them, Karofsky could see that the naval officers have boarded the Titan.

"Faster!" Karofsky commanded.

Riding the rough waves, the crew of the Titan labored to bring the boat on shore. They cheered when the bottom of the ship finally scratched against the rough lava stones littering the shoreline. A couple of the pirates jumped out of the boat and began to hull the vessel up on to land.

Once the boat was ashore, Puck and the pirate congregated on the beach and began to prepare for the cliffs.

"It's now or never," Bill whispered to Puck as the pirates gathered their belongings. "Karofsky knows the island well. If we don't take care of him now it will be difficult to take him down when we are up on the cliffs."

Puck nodded.

"Com'on, Kurt," Karofsky lifted Kurt out of the boat. "We need to get up on the cliff now."

"Oh no, not 'we'."

Dave spun around to the voice, and was shocked to see two menacing eyes staring right back at him. Behind Puck, the pirates were holding their rifles aimed directly at Karofsky and Kurt.

"What is the meaning of this?" Karofsky shifted to shield Kurt from the line of fire, and glared dangerously at his First Mate.

"I reckon you know what this looks like, Dave," Puck raised one eyebrow in amusement. "We are going up on that cliff now, and you ain't invited."

"This is mutiny. Have you no regard for the Code?" Dave slowly shifted his hand toward the rifle on his belt.

"Oh no, don't you move," Jackson raised his pistol.

"The Code forbids us to question the command of our captain," Bill spit on the ground. "But you haven't been our captain long ago. Getting us burnt alive at Eden and chased by the Yenban and the damn Royal Navy. We haven't been no pirates, we've been like a pack of alley rats. Well I say this ends now!"

"If you wouldn't mind kindly hand over your rifle, I'd appreciate it."

Dave studied the pirates that surrounded him, and slowly pulled out his gun, handle first, and handed it over to Puck.

"And the saber, too, please," Puck kept a close eye at their former captain. "We know you are damn good with that thing."

Dave handed over his saber.

"Just let Kurt and I back on the boat," Dave said slowly. "Then you gentlemen can go on your merry ways. I am your captain, and this is the least you can do."

"I'm afraid not," replied Puck. "You see, we'll need to take Kurt as well. He's the only reason those naval ships haven't blown us up to smithereens. They want him alive, and as long as he is our hostage, we will have the upper hand in this battle."

"You.." Karofsky growled, and suddenly lunged forward to tackle Puckerman to the ground. Before the pirates could take aim at their former captain, the two began to wrestle on the ground.

For a while neither side was winning the brawl, as Puck would pin Karofsky on the beach, the latter would quickly throw him off and the two would be at it again.

"Shit, what do we do now?" Jackson still kept his pistol pointed at Karofsky, but given the tussle he could very well kill Puck with his shot.

"We gotta get a move on this quick," Bill said, eyeing the naval ships. Not so distant from shore, the officers have begun boarding boats to come on land.

"Shoot him, you idiots!" Puck grunted as he finally kicked Karofsky away from him.

Jackson fired.

Kurt screamed as he watched Karofsky take a bullet at his chest, the impact of the shot knocking him flat and lifeless on his back.

"Dave!" Kurt ran to Karofsky's side, and scowled the pirates surrounding them. "He was your captain! He led you guys on numerous battles! How can you guys do this to him? What you did is despicable!"

"Aw, look, the pretty little thing is angry," Jackson laughed as he grabbed Kurt and yanked the boy up to his feet. Kurt struggled in vain as the pirate pulled him away from Dave's limp body.

"Feisty, too," Jackson growled at Kurt's ear. "I say tonight we all get a taste of the captain's prize."

Puck rolled his eyes.

"First things first," Puck walked toward Karofsky and tested the body with his pistol. Karofsky did not move.

"We gotta take off," Bill was already heading toward the mountain. "We need to make time on the cliffs! The soldiers are on their way ashore."

Puck nodded, and the pirates began moving toward the cliff path.

"Move it," Jackson pushed Kurt before him, and prodded the boy to walk with the group.

As they began to ascend on the cliff path, Kurt looked back at Dave's body, draped over the cold and wet rocks on the beach.

He will not mourn Dave Karofsky.

No, he won't let himself.

For days on end, Kurt had thought Karofsky's death would give him the peace and satisfaction he so long desired. But now that he is dead, Kurt just felt the pain will never end.

A shove from behind forced Kurt to look ahead and keep up with the pace of the group. They have begun climbing the trail alongside the rocky cliffs of the black mountain. It was a long, winding and narrow path carved out of the cliff face. As they advanced, the group slowly felt their way between a wall of slick, moss covered rock on the left, and the deafening ocean beneath the cliff on the right. At times, the group had to move in a single file line, crab-like, with their backs against the wall, so that they can proceed safely upward to their hideout.

A couple of times, the loose rocks would give away beneath Kurt's feet. If it weren't for Puck or Jackson hanging on to his arm, the boy would have simply slipped off the cliff edge.

As they got higher, the roars of the ocean waves looked more terrifying from above. Kurt could feel the wind growing more powerful, threatening to sweep everyone off their feet. And every so often, he would watch the occasional boulders roll off the cliff edge and tumble down the jagged stone wall toward the white water, breaking apart and disintegrating along the way.

Because the path was only wide enough for one person, Kurt wasn't able to see what happened ahead.

But he could hear it.

The grunts and curses as flesh pounded into flesh, and the blood curling screams as one of the pirates fell off the edge, his body missing the waters and plunging directly onto the sharp rocky spikes below the cliff.

"Move!" Jackson pushed Kurt forward.

A small clearing was up ahead, and as the pirates crowded into the extra space, Kurt could finally see what was going on.

Karofsky was moving down the narrow path, taking out one pirate after another. The man was covered in blood, but in his left hand, he held a small dagger.

Dave had gotten ahead of the group and waited to ambush the crew at a blind spot atop the narrow cliff. The dagger he had hidden in his boot meant he could only engage in close-body combat. Using the geography to his advantage, he knew this was the best place to pick his fight, for the path could only fit one person at a time. Those behind are trapped, and he would be able to take them out, one after another.

It was his only chance to save Kurt.

Kurt gasped as a bullet ricocheted off the rock wall in front of Dave, barely missing his head.

Dave didn't flinch, he just kept moving forward, knocking another pirate down the cliff with a backhanded strike.

"Enough!" Puck growled as Karofsky arrived at the clearing. Puck handed his pistol to Bill.

"It's time to end this," Puck said as he approached Karofsky and pulled out a knife.

Dave lunged toward Puck with a slash of the dagger, and the latter parried the strike, moving swiftly out of the way.

More clashes of the metal as the two circled around, looking for the kill strike.

But while Puck was waiting for the right moment, Karofsky was getting impatient. Jackson's bullet had pierced through his right shoulder, and as a result, he has lost a lot of blood. The longer he stayed in the fight, the weaker he would become.

He has to end this now.

Puck turned slightly, and Dave thought it was the perfect opportunity to attack. The pirate captain brought his dagger up and struck down at Puck in an outward circular motion, hoping to cut directly into his opponent's jugular.

But in a flash, Puck brought up his arm to block the strike, and with his own blade, cut deeply across Karofsky's abdomen.

Kurt brought his hands up to cover his gasps.

Karofsky stumbled backwards and looked at his wounds incredulously.

"It's over, Karofsky."

"Let him go, Puck, you don't need him."

Puck shook his head.

"Dave, you could have gotten away. You were always the survivor."

Puck looked at Kurt, then back to Dave.

Dave struggled to keep on his feet as he held on to the gaping wound on his side.

"The person who put the poison in your drink wasn't that cabin boy, it was Kurt," Puck no longer felt the need to hold back. "He has always wanted you dead. Well, to be honest, so did I. So did we all."

Karofsky looked at Kurt.

For a brief moment, their eyes met, and Kurt was scared of seeing regret in Dave's eyes.

But instead, Dave smiled.

"It's my due," Dave whispered. "Whatever it was, I owed it to him."

He lunged one last time toward Puck.

But Karofsky no longer had the strength and speed he needed to take Puck down, as his life was slowly draining from his body. Instead, Puck side stepped the attacked and buried his knife inside Karofsky's gut.

Kurt turned away and closed his eyes as he heard Dave's body land on the stone path in a loud thud.

Puck stood still for a moment, as if silently giving Dave his last rites.

Then slowly, the pirate kicked the body off the cliff.

The pirates remained frozen as they watched Karofsky's lifeless body free fall toward the sea.

Then, one little step at a time, Kurt began to move toward the edge of the cliff where Karofsky last lay.

Standing at the edge, with his back to the open blue sky, Kurt stood still, looking serenely at Puck.

It was as if an angel was about to take flight.

The pirates held their breaths. The harsh conditions of the sea showed no bearing on the soft and porcelain features of the boy before them. The being before them looked peaceful, solemn, and more than anything, ethereal.

Puck frowned. He sheathed his knife and slowly reach his hand out toward Kurt.

"Take my hand, Kurt," said Puck softly.

Kurt looked down at the out-stretched hand, stained red by Karofsky's blood.

The color marred his vision as he vaguely remembered the carefree boy back in the Hummel-Hudson Manor, when the most difficult choice of his days was which silk stocking to wear. Kurt felt puzzled as he no longer even recognize the boy in those memories.

Kurt always knew what he wanted, and he has no regrets. But in his search for freedom and happiness, why is it that he has brought nothing but pain and suffering to himself and those around him?

Kurt looked at the pirates before him. They will die, too, no doubt. All because of him. And he is powerless to stop it, whether he wanted to or not. Just like Blaine, Azimio, Zachery, and Dave Karofsky.

But that's not entirely true.

He has the power.

The power to end it, right here, right now.

Kurt could hear the ocean calling behind him.

He let go.


	9. Finale

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~Finale~
> 
> Warning: There is a slight dub-con element in this chapter. I personally think it's understandable, but apologies if people think it's OOC or offensive. This is, after all, a Kink_Meme fill.
> 
> The song referenced is "My Love" by Sia.

**Finale**

Her Majesty's Royal Navy was finally returning to Bombay.

Ever since the ships first left port to rescue the Viceroy's beloved, the mysterious beauty whose distress launched the most feared naval fleet in the seven seas has monopolized all after-supper conversations in the land. The subsequent battles and searches, retold countless times in many taverns and tea rooms, have mesmerized an entire kingdom, exalting every little detail into legend and myth. Even the King himself, on occasion, inquired about the lover's plights.

It's no wonder, then, that when words arrived of the fleet's imminent return, that men and women, young and old, from as far as their feet could carry them, gathered at the port hoping to get a glimpse of the face that not only brought the most powerful man in the kingdom to his knees, but also drove the fabled King of the Pirates to his demise.

But just as everyone held their head high, ready to be swooned by the otherworldly beauty that they have only heard of in fairy tales, they were presented with yet another mystery.

The Viceroy was alone.

Well, by his side were his loyal friends, officers of the navy, standing guard in two straight rows as Viceroy Commander Blaine Anderson slowly descended on the walkway leading from the ship to the dock. But there was no beauty whose voice rivaled the songs of the nightingale and whose porcelain skin was the envy of the gods. Instead, the solemn expressions and the heavy silence from the procession made many of the spectators suck in a shocked breath. Did they come back empty handed? Where is Kurt Hummel?

The crowd hushed as behind the Commander emerged a tiny brunette with a feathered hat in full swashbuckling attire, and by her side, a tall handsome lad.

What drew most people's attention, though, was what the tall man was carrying. Between his arms was a frail frame, draped and hidden in the softest of fabrics. As the man stepped out onto the wooden plank that connected the ship's hull to the dock, the petite brunette quickly adjusted the cloth to shield its face from the unwavering daylight.

Treading carefully and watching his every step, the tall man slowly moved down the walkway toward a four horse carriage waiting at the dock. The crowd wanted to get closer to ask him why he was carrying that person in his arms as if it would disintegrate into pure dust at the lightest tremble, but the solders on guard held them back at a distance, forbidding them to approach.

The officers stood watch as the tall man slowly climbed into the carriage with the Viceroy and the brunette, and then they mounted their horses and followed the carriage as it made its way toward the Viceroy's residence.

As the officers and the carriage disappeared along the horizon, the spectators looked at each other, disappointed at the unexpected turn of events. Yet, at the same time, their interest was renewed by the veiled treasure that returned with the officers. The mystery will no doubt fuel the national gossip for quite a while.

* * *

Blaine Anderson walked into his bedroom. His side still hurt a little at where the gun pellet penetrated his waist and exited his body without damaging his vitals. Even though it continues to stud his movements, the wound was healing nicely.

But there was no sign of relief in his dark brows.

Blaine approached his bed and sat down next to a sleeping figure.

It's been two weeks since Blaine brought Kurt home.

Blaine had hoped to put on a welcoming party for Kurt's entrance to their residence in Bombay. Over and over, Blaine had pictured the day he would finally be able to introduce his beloved to their own private sanctum. He had so wanted to show Kurt the dark teak wood canopy bed he had especially chosen for them, with its intricate celestial carvings and sheer draperies that would sway with the wind in hot summer evenings. And alongside the bay windows of the bedroom he had selected embroidered silk screens that would soften the harshest of morning light when they wake up in each other's arms, allowing them to make up for the times they have spent apart.

But while he finally has Kurt back in his arms, the boy has not once glanced at the exquisiteness that surrounded him.

Since the day Blaine dived in the ocean to bring his husband up from the abyss of the sea, Kurt has remained in slumber, never once opening his eyes. Only an occasional stirring would signal what little life remained in his comatose body. But most of the time, Kurt remained motionless, as if his very soul has taken flight away from its earthly vessel.

_You are going to need more than a miracle, the doctors told Blaine. He's never going to wake up. He is not going to last long in his current state. He is going to wither away slowly, and you will have to watch him die before your eyes. Rather than prolonging the inevitable, you should prepare him for a dignified death. It's time to let him go._

"No!" Blaine cried out. He reached for Kurt's hand.

"Kurt, wake up, please," Blaine repeated the words he has uttered every night since their return.

"I miss you so much."

But there was not even a flicker of the eyelashes to acknowledge his plea.

Blaine sighed and reached for a bottle of Narayan oil at the bedside. The doctors he had consulted offered many farfetched remedies, such as loud noises, exorcism, and even bleeding. But Nick took him to see an old wise man living beneath a tree outside a remote shrine. At first glance, he would have taken the man as a beggar, with his long unkempt hair and emaciated limbs. But Nick had treated the man with the utmost respect, and Blaine was willing to listen to any advice.

The old man made two comments, but only one of which Blaine was prepared to consider. The old man instructed him to massage Kurt's body every day, making sure to cover every inch of skin and smooth out each muscle.

On their way back from the shrine, Nick agreed with the old man's suggestion, explaining that the massages may help to stimulate Kurt back to awareness. If nothing else, it would help prevent fatal bed sores. So during the day, while Blaine was away taking care of the affairs of the crown, Kurt's nurses would keep to a strict schedule, moving and exercising his limbs every couple of hours. But at night, when Blaine returned home, he would insist on taking over the laborious task himself.

After removing his own clothes, Blaine got up to unbutton Kurt's shirt, slowly stripping off the fine silk that covered the boy's lithe body and then turning Kurt to his stomach. Pouring the Narayan oil that Nick had given him onto his hands, Blaine straddled Kurt and began to glide his palm down his bare back, from the shoulders down to the small of his hips, making sure to knead and squeeze into every contour of Kurt's flesh.

A sad smile crept up Blaine's face as he felt Kurt take a deep breath beneath his fingertips, as if responding to the sensual touch. It was moments like these that Blaine lived for, the feather light connection that he could still make with Kurt, however fleeting, that kept him an inch from despair. But the closeness also made his heart ache more and more each day, because he could feel Kurt getting thinner beneath him each night. It was as if the life force was being drained from his body, little by little, day after day.

Blaine reached down and imprinted a string of butterfly kisses on Kurt's shoulder.

"I'm here, my love. It's me, Blaine." He whispered. "I'm right next to you."

The boy remained absolutely still in his slumber, his fine features motionless as if a marble statue.

But Blaine was determined to bring life back into those frozen limbs. After tendering the muscles on Kurt's back, Blaine spread his hands and started to knead Kurt's buttocks. The scent of mint and eucalyptus filled his senses as his warm palms pressed into Kurt's yielding flesh. Then, with the remaining oil on his fingertips, he slowly drew circles around Kurt's puckered anus, taking care to work the essences into every crevice as he laid more passionate kisses on Kurt's back.

Working his way toward the front, Blaine massaged Kurt's arms, using his fingers to soften the stiff muscles. Then, taking Kurt's hand, Blaine began to suck on each digit, taking the full length of the finger into his mouth and slowly drawing it out, sucking and smoothing each finger with his lips.

Blaine could tell that his husband's unconscious response to the hot wetness, for he could see Kurt's cock becoming semi-erect even in his deep sleep. Kurt's hardened sex became even more pronounced when Blaine reached down and gently squeezed his balls, his fingertips digging against the perineum.

Gently, Blaine lowered himself on top of Kurt, and rubbed their erect members against each other.

Pressing himself close, Blaine slid his body against Kurt's skin as he pumped his cock, his breaths labored as he climbed closer and closer to climax.

Blaine began to whimper as he felt himself coming to his release. He quickened his pace and, instinctually, began thrusting his hips against the slumbering body beneath him.

"Kurt!" Blaine screamed as he finally came. He reached for Kurt's body and drew the boy to him as he rode out the waves of burning ecstasy coursing through his veins.

Blaine could feel Kurt's warm breath against his neck, and without hesitation he reached for the soft lips, allowing his tongue to slowly trace the contour of Kurt's full lips, circling and tasting each form and indentation of the curves. Moving his own head from side to side, Blaine fluttered his eyes, savoring the velvet of Kurt's lips as he brushed their mouths against each other.

As his passion subsided, Blaine gently laid Kurt down beside him.

"Please," Blaine begged. "Open your eyes, Kurt. You are home, safe. Why can't you just open your beautiful eyes and look at me?"

But tonight, like every other night, Kurt did not answer.

* * *

"Miss! Miss! The Master is still resting!"

Blaine was woken up by a series of loud protests outside their bedroom in the morning.

"Mmm…" Blaine muttered, rubbing his eyes as he untangled himself from Kurt's body. He had the nurse wake him up every two hours during the night to turn Kurt's body, which meant he hasn't had a good night's sleep for two weeks.

"Oh please," Rachel's shrilled voice could be heard outside the door. "I have two gay dads. Trust me, there ain't nothing that I haven't seen before. Stand aside, I am the captain of the most fierce and most powerful naval warship in the seven seas!"

Before the butler could protest further, Rachel Berry kicked open the heavy door and barged in unannounced into the bedroom. Two nervous men stood close behind, a short and stubbly one that was wringing his hands at his failed intercept, and the other tall, handsome one with a hand covering his eyes.

"Oh please, Finn. Kurt's in a coma for god's sake, it's not like we are going to watch them have hot steamy sex," Rachel rolled her eyes at Finn's prudish behavior.

But then she saw Blaine pull up the sheets up to cover his bare chest.

"Blaine Anderson! Do not tell me you are naked under there! Is Kurt naked, too?"

"What?" Blaine quickly glanced over to make sure he did dress Kurt after their session last night. "No!"

"Oh please kill me now," Finn moaned, still keeping his eyes covered. "This is so wrong…"

"Master Blaine," The butler would not stop apologize in the meantime. "I couldn't stop Captain Berry…"

Blaine thought he was going to get a splitting headache from them all talking on top of each other. Finally, he put his hands up and yelled, "Stop!"

"Mr. Bartholomew, thank you very much, I can handle it from here." Blaine first turned to his butler.

"Yes, Your Lordship," The old man nodded in relief as he excused himself from the room. "Breakfast is served in the solarium, sir."

Blaine nodded.

Next, Blaine turned toward the brunette with her hands on her hips.

"Whatever is going on between the two of you, let's move over to the solarium so the nurse can come to give Kurt his morning bath," Blaine rolled out of the bed and pulled a shirt over his body. "But before we go, Finn, can you help me turn Kurt?"

Finn nodded as he lowered his hand, and slowly walked over to Kurt's side of the bed.

"How is he?" Finn said in a whisper, studying his slumbering brother. "Any signs of improvement from yesterday?"

Blaine shook his head. Together, they turned Kurt's body 90 degrees and arranged his limbs in a comfortable position, before adjusting the covers.

"You know, Burt and my mom will want to see him, immediately," Finn added.

"I know," Blaine replied. "We've had this discussion already, Finn. The doctors made it very clear that at Kurt's current condition, he wouldn't survive long-distance travel on a ship. Believe me, I would do anything to let him be near Burt and Carol right now."

"I understand," Finn nodded. "I just don't know what I am going to say when I see them, you know. I just feel like I've let them down. I let Kurt down…"

"It's not you," Blaine corrected. "It's me who's failed Kurt. I shouldn't have asked him to travel here; I didn't know what I was thinking…"

"Okay, stop sulking, both of you," The petite brunette punched both grown men on their arms. "Neither of you are at fault. And stop talking as if Kurt's gone. Do you really think he wants to hear you guys talk like that?"

Rachel took Kurt's hand into her palms.

"Kurt, when you wake up, we are going to be the best of friends and we are going to tear up this town," Rachel said in her most cheerful voice. "And just letting you know, if you don't open your eyes soon, I am going to have to redecorate this entire house for you. So unless you like ponies and lots of pink, you better wake up soon, okay?"

Blaine and Finn both smiled. Captain Rachel Berry may be a walking train wreck extravaganza, but you can always count on her for her fighting spirit.

Blaine has an idea of why she is here this morning.

"Shall we have some breakfast?" Blaine offered, and began to lead the way out the bedroom. This problem is going to require some serious couples mediation.

* * *

At the breakfast table in the solarium.

"Finn, I can't believe you didn't tell me you were boarding a ship this afternoon to go back home!" Rachel Berry nearly knocked the plate of mangosteens out of the butler's hands as she gestured her dismay. "How can you do this to me?"

Blaine looked disapprovingly at an embarrassed Finn. "Finn, I thought we decided that you were going to tell Rachel about your going home."

"I know," Finn nodded. "I just…. I tried so many times but nothing would come out of my mouth, you know."

Finn turned toward Rachel. "I am so sorry, I was going to tell you. I even had this big speech prepared. But I guess I just kind of freaked. I knew you were not going to be happy, and I didn't know how I could change that."

"Well, you can start by telling me now," Rachel said indignantly. "We finally got Kurt back, you are doing so well on the Warbler and Blaine is helping you to negotiate a commission with the Royal Navy. You are going to be an officer, and we are going to travel the world together. I thought that was our plan. Why are you leaving me? What about us, Finn?"

"That is still our plan, Rachel," Finn was finally able to get a word in when Rachel paused for a breath. "But remember I told you, I had a fiancé before I joined the navy. We were going to get married."

"Quinn," Rachel whispered in a pained voice. "Do you still love her?"

"I love you, Rachel," Finn looked directly into Rachel's eyes. "But in my mom's letters, she said that Quinn has never moved on, and is still waiting for me. I just… I need to go back and explain to her in person. I owe her that, and much more. What kind of a man would I be if I just leave her hanging like that? I need to go back and make things right."

"And if she refuses to break off the engagement," Rachel was biting back tears. "Then what?"

"I…" Finn stuttered. "I don't know, Rachel. But I love you, only you, please believe me."

"Rachel, Finn is also carrying a letter for me to Kurt's parents," Blaine explained. "After what happened to Kurt, I really should take Kurt back to see them. But Kurt is… I mean, I can't risk anything with Kurt right now, he's so fragile."

"I know," Rachel said. She stood up from the table and addressed Finn.

"Fine, you can go back. But I am not going to come say goodbye to you this afternoon when you board. And I may or may not still be here when you get back, just so you know. Because Rachel Berry waits for no man." With that, the brunette stomped out of the solarium.

Blaine patted a grim looking Finn on the shoulders.

"Hang in there. Concentrate on dealing with Quinn first. I am sure Rachel will still be here when you come back. I've never seen her look at another person the way she looks at you."

Finn nodded, and replied, "What about you? Do you think Kurt will ever wake up?"

"I don't know," Blaine closed his eyes. "I honestly don't know what to do anymore, Finn. The waiting, the constant waiting, it's killing me."

"Maybe I should stay a while longer," Finn said quietly, cautiously glancing over at Blaine. "Some of the doctors seem to think Kurt may pass soon. Maybe I should stay until after the funeral –"

"No!" Blaine stood up abruptly, angered by Finn's suggestion. "There is not going to be a funeral, because Kurt will be with me, forever. I am never leaving him ever again, and he is not going to leave me."

Blaine addressed Finn one last time before storming out of the solarium: "This conversation is over. Please see yourself out."

Finn shook his head as he watched Blaine leave the room. Blaine has kept his cool throughout the ordeal, as any good leader would. Even as he was bleeding out after being shot by Karofsky in Eden, Blaine had kept his wits about him, giving orders to Rachel to contact the Yenban to begin tracking the Titan, and passing instructions for Thad and Trent to rendezvous with them immediately to begin pursuit.

But Finn knew how much Blaine loved Kurt. Blaine had been relentless, even obsessed, with rescuing Kurt. When they watched Kurt fall from the cliffs of Skull Island into the roaring sea, despite his weakened state, Blaine was still able to shake loose Nick and Jeff to dive into the icy waters. When he reemerged from the sea with deep blue lips and convulsing arms, with Kurt in tow, they all thought that was going to be the last of Blaine Anderson.

And now, with Kurt in a coma, and the possibility of him withering away in his sleep, next to Blaine…

Finn and the officers were all deeply concerned about their friend. What would happen to Blaine if Kurt passes? David even raised a disturbing thought – What if Blaine loses his will to live when Kurt is gone?

* * *

Blaine kept himself busy after Finn departed for home.

During the day he had endless tasks as the representative of Her Majesty, and at night, he would devote his entire time taking care of Kurt. He had kept up a good front, making sure appearances are just like as they have been before. But he knew that his friends are concerned, as their visits have become more frequent. Blaine's mental state was also painfully obvious, as anyone could tell by simply looking at Kurt. Even though the nurses have been able to get liquids in him, the boy was barely just skins and bones, and his breathing has become unstable. Despite Blaine's refusal to believe, he knew, deep down inside, that Kurt was going to pass soon.

One long and dark night, Blaine sat by Kurt's bedside and closely studied his slumbering beloved under the candlelight.

In the evening before, Blaine woke up in a maddening panic when he suddenly realized that Kurt had stopped breathing. He could feel his own blood drumming again his ears as he desperately pressed on Kurt's chest, calling out for Kurt to remember to breath. The only thing Blaine remembered, as he cried out to Kurt, was that he was consumed with fear, the fear of being apart from the one that he loved more than anything in the world.

"Never again," Blaine whispered as he reached for Kurt's hand. "I promised you that I will never leave you again, and I intend to keep that promise, my love."

When Blaine and Nick visited the remote shrine, the wise man had given Blaine two pieces of advice. The first he had taken faithfully, making sure that Kurt's muscles, however, atrophied, would be tended to day after day. The second, however, Blaine had never considered.

But now, Blaine was having second thoughts.

Blaine went over to the dresser and began putting on a navy-colored captain's uniform. It was the same outfit he wore on that fateful day when he first met Kurt at the township masquerade ball, complete with gold studs and a red satin belt. It was one of the best days of his life, and now, as his and Kurt's journey was drawing to an end, it would be fitting for him to be in the same clothing.

Blaine also prepared Kurt in a beautiful white and blue embroidered tunic. He still remembered the white and blue outfit Kurt wore on that day. Together with his tight white breeches, Blaine's first impression of Kurt was that he must have been an angel that wondered out of heaven.

With his pistol holstered to his side, Blaine wrapped Kurt in a saffron-colored blanket and gently carried the boy, bridal style, out of their bedroom.

Holding Kurt close to his heart, Blaine quietly rode off on his horse beneath the soft moonlight. It would take them a while to reach their destination. The night air was chilly, and Blaine laid a gentle kiss on Kurt's head as he rubbed the boy's cool arms with his free hand, keeping him close and warm.

The old wise man was very specific in his directions. Though, even if he hadn't, Blaine was well aware of the place he spoke of:

The River of Souls.

Blaine had studied the native cultures and traditions when he arrived, and he knew the locals believed that when a person passes, his or her soul will pass through the River of Souls before ascending to heaven to be reincarnated. The sacred river was a bridge, a passage point between the realms of life and rebirth.

And, as one is not permitted to carry the memories of this life to the next, the River of Souls was also a place where the spirits would cleanse themselves of their past so that they may start anew.

The wise man had told Blaine that Kurt's soul was lost between the land of the living and the land of the dead.

Take your beloved to the River of Souls, the wise man said. Bathe him in the sacred water. If your love was meant to be, then perhaps you will find him there and he will return to his earthly vessel.

The wise man's words were simple and succinct, but Blaine knew of another legend of the River of Souls, one where the old man did not utter. When star-crossed lovers wanted to make sure they would be together again in the next life, they would both descend into the River of Souls with a red stash that bound their hands together. It was said that heaven's gate keeper would take pity on the lovers and allow them to retain their memories of their love as they passed through.

It was almost dawn when Blaine reached the River of Souls. The first rays of the sun were just about to peak over the blue mountains as Blaine walked toward the middle of the river with Kurt between his arms.

Stopping as the water reached his waist, Blaine gently relaxed his arms and allowed Kurt to float atop the surface of the river.

Then, very softly, Blaine began to sing:

_My love, leave yourself behind,_

_Beat inside me, leave you blind._

_My love, you have found peace,_

_You were searching for release._

_You gave it all, into the call;_

_You took a chance and, you took the fall for us._

_You came thoughtfully, loved me faithfully._

_You taught me honor, you did it for me._

_Tonight, you will sleep for good._

_You will wait for me, my love._

_Now I am strong, you gave me all._

_You gave all you had, and now I am home._

Blaine untied the red stash and tightly bound his left hand to Kurt's, and watched as the undulating waves began engulfing Kurt's frail frame. The water slowly rose until the boy was completely submerged beneath the clear waters.

As Blaine watched the soft reflecting light dancing and glistening on Kurt's milky white skin, Blaine couldn't help but marvel at how peaceful Kurt looked. His angel was taking flight, suspended in midair and waiting for him.

Blaine reached for his pistol.

* * *

Kurt felt weightless; it was as if he was floating in the air.

It felt like everything was just standing still. And ever so slowly, images began to move before his eyes. Drawn to the colors like a moth to a flame, Kurt looked closer to the scene before him.

It was his first date with Lord Blaine Anderson, the young captain of the Warblers. The dapper gentleman had invited him on a picnic in the meadows, and Kurt could not stop giggling as his young lordship clumsily tried to uncork a bottle of wine.

That day, Blaine spoke fondly of the sea and of his travels. Kurt remembered being mesmerized by the light in Blaine's hazel eyes as he spoke of the freedom he experienced when he took sail for the first time, of trying to make it on his own, creating a life for himself.

Then he spoke of his battles, his encounters with pirates while sailing in the Caribbean, and of the uprising and mutinies he had encountered while still a young officer on the Warbler.

 _So it is not all fun and games?_ Kurt asked, not able to fathom the kind of life Blaine have. _How do you move on after such terrible experiences? Do they haunt you in any way?_

Kurt remembered Blaine being very candid in his response. Life was never perfect, Blaine said, it may never be. There were always moments when he felt that everything was going wrong, and that he will never be free of the shackles that keep him down.

But regardless of what happens, I try to do right by others with what I can and what I have, Blaine explained.

Then he reached for Kurt's hand, and Kurt felt his heart flutter.

"Courage," Blaine whispered with a smile. "Always remember that."

The word flashed before Kurt's mind, and suddenly he felt like he was forgetting something. He tried to look around him, but it was only him, alone, floating in the abyss.

Then, just as Kurt was becoming content in his state of being, a woman's soft voice caught his attention.

Kurt spun around, and saw a beautiful lady with auburn hair and a mischievous twinkle in her eyes.

"Mom!" Kurt cried, reaching out to the woman whose touch he lost too soon as a child.

"Kurt, it's time to go back," Elizabeth's soothing voice was lyrical, much like her son's. "Blaine is waiting for you. Go back to him, that's where you should be."

"No," Kurt snuggled close to his mother, inhaling her familiar lavender scent. "I want to stay with you."

"My dear," Elizabeth hugged him back. "We will soon meet again, I promise."

"But mom," Kurt shook his head. "I don't know if I can do this anymore. All I wanted to do is find my own happiness, to be free. But I don't know why it just seems to bring everyone around me such misery."

"Oh sweetie," Elizabeth cupped Kurt's cheeks. "You will find your happiness and freedom. Just remember, first you need to accept who you are, deep inside, and understand how much you mean to those who love you."

Elizabeth kissed Kurt tenderly. "So go back, darling. Go back to those that love you. Don't keep them waiting."

Kurt watched his mother fade as light slowly seeped into his surroundings. He could feel the caress of the soft waters all around him.

Then he heard a singing voice. It was unmistakably Blaine's, his gorgeous melody like a siren's call, serving as a beacon for Kurt.

* * *

Blaine thought the dawn's light was playing a trick on his eyes when he saw Kurt's eyelids flicker beneath the waters.

Stilling his movements, Blaine held his breath as he fixated his gaze on Kurt's serene face. Then Blaine felt the entire world came to a halting stop as Kurt's eyelids flickered again, and slowly unveiled the most beautiful eyes he has ever seen, a galaxy of blues, greens, and bright stars.

Then Kurt smiled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow I can't believe I actually finished a story *throws flower petals*. This was originally published on FF but I'm migrating all my various writings to AO3. Debating if I should do one more chapter, an epilogue, to give more closure to the various characters that came up throughout the story, such as Santana and Brittany. It'll probably be a while before I can circle back to this fic, so we'll see...
> 
> Thank you to everyone who read and commented on this work.


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